It was on March 15th, 2011 when I decided to submit an artificial intelligence project to the "Capo d'Orlando 2020" competition. Below you will find a copy of that project with some ideas that, after almost 10 years, could still be relevant today.
The city of Capo d'Orlando, located on the edge of the Tyrrhenian Sea, has been a popular tourist destination for many years due to its beautiful landscape and warm, clean sea. The Tyrrhenian Sea in close proximity, the Eolian Islands visible from all over the country, the characteristic Mount of the Madonna, and the bay of San Gregorio are enviable tourist spots worldwide. The Mount of the Madonna, on which the characteristic church stands, alongside the ancient ruins of the Castle of Orlando, is a destination for many pilgrims every year. In addition, the Piccolo Villa Museum, the Bastion Castle, and the ancient Roman Villa of Bagnoli are cultural and artistic treasures of immense value.
So, what ideas could be thought of for a country that already possesses such a heritage? Undoubtedly, tourism is the main economic resource on which we should focus. To support adequate economic and social development for the whole country, we could improve the services offered to tourists by making them highly technological, increase territorial controls to prevent unwanted events, further enhance cultural assets, increase competition between commercial activities (which often exploit tourists, damaging the country's image), and advertise worldwide all the wonders we possess. The project proposed here is the result of long-term experience gained in the technological field in internationally renowned companies. By analyzing trends and future developments in technology, some applications have been thought of that could help Capo d'Orlando ensure adequate economic and social development in the coming years. The systems presented here are the subject of research in some specific disciplines of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision. In recent years, these disciplines have received widespread interest from scientific communities around the world to solve problems in various fields of application.
The proposed project is divided into three frameworks as listed below.
1) Smart cameras based on artificial vision
The first framework concerns the development of an automatic system for identifying abnormal behaviors or events that could pose a problem for the country. To achieve this, the use of cameras and computer algorithms implementing "artificial vision" is proposed.
Possible uses of this application include:
Detecting individuals committing acts of vandalism to preserve public heritage
Detecting individuals who dispose of waste outside of designated hours or places to keep the country clean and welcoming at all times
Detecting waste left on beaches to protect the environment
Detecting incidents or potential thefts in public parking areas to identify, for example, the model and license plate of the vehicle involved. Other automatic detection applications could include lifeguard services and help in identifying drownings at sea or detecting potential fires that often destroy large areas of surrounding mountains and cause inconvenience to nearby homes. Lastly, the automatic vision system could also be used inside or near nightclubs to improve security. In this context, the system could be used to monitor the number of people present in the clubs, to ensure compliance with legal limits. Video streams from some cameras could also be shared on the internet for remote viewing; for example, streaming video of the beaches could be an excellent advertising tool for tourists considering the area as a vacation destination.
2)Virtual Tourist Guide
The second framework concerns the development of a virtual tourist guide system that uses themed maps viewable on smartphones. These maps highlight points of interest and provide access to information, technological services, and notifications of potential events. For example, tourists can find the best deals for their needs and have a full view of the city on their mobile phone. Points of interest include commercial activities such as bars, hotels, restaurants, pizzerias, agritourism, and businesses that want to be easily identified, as well as rental homes, hospitals, tourist spots, museums, and cameras installed in the city. By clicking on one of these points, users can access a variety of information such as a list of typical products for a commercial activity, photos and availability of rental homes, historical information for a particular tourist spot, or video streams produced by cameras installed in the area. This system also allows for specific technological services to be implemented, such as online ordering for restaurants or online booking for hotels.
3) Virtual Reality for Cultural Heritage
The last framework concerns a system for acquiring, reconstructing, and digitally experiencing cultural heritage in order to enhance its beauty and importance even more. The municipal art gallery, the Villa Piccolo Museum, the Bastion Castle, and various churches in our territory all keep paper and photographic documents that are not always accessible to unauthorized people. To keep interest in these objects alive, it is possible to digitally acquire them and view them multiple times without causing damage to the originals. The museums and churches also keep vases, furnishings, statues, and various objects that come from different historical periods. Viewing these objects fascinates visitors who always demand more services; for example, very tall statues are difficult to view in great detail. In this case, 3D scanning can help. It is common in major museums to place a totem next to a statue of particular artistic interest, which tourists can interact with. The scanned copy of the work of art can be rotated, enlarged, and observed from angles that the visitor cannot reach. Regarding the ruins of the Castle Orlando and the Roman Villa of Bagnoli, one could proceed to the 3D reconstruction of the entire sites, allowing for virtual tours that are fun to watch, also through augmented reality techniques that add additional multimedia information to the already perceived reality.
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