Parks Canada recently announced intentions to provide location specific content to park visitors using GPS technology and a program called Explora. Explora includes location specific 'pop-ups' with information pertaining to the area visitors are in, it also includes an interactive quiz type feature.
During the pilot phase of the project Parks Canada handed out devices loaded with the app to visitors to a select number of parks. Parks Canada is still working on making the Explora program available on a wider scale and is working on expanding the number of mobile apps offered by Parks Canada. There has been some indication that these new apps will contain historical content, which would be a great way of updating traditional methods interpretation.
It will be interesting to see how this project expands. Using digital apps has the potential to inform parks visitors of their surroundings in a way which is more accessible and engaging than a traditional text panel. However, I think there needs to be a balance between enjoying the natural beauty of Canada's parks and learning more about one's surroundings through technology.
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