Second in passenger traffic after the Port of Piraeus, the Heraklion Port is fully equipped and staffed to render highly competitive and efficient services to all forms of shipping.
In order to better serve the visitors of Crete, Heraklion Port Authority S.A. in collaboration with ICS-FORTH has installed four (4) interactive systems at the passenger terminal and three (3) interactive systems on a mobile electrical vehicle unit. The latter follows a predefined route at the city center and constitute a mobile information kiosk.
- Interactive Column facilitates instant information by employing the steam metaphor. A stream of information floating from the top of the column to the bottom is presented. The system employs a large vertical touch screen display where a continuous flow of announcements from various sources and types (text, image, and video clip) is presented. Announcements appear and disappear automatically based on their publication and expiration dates. Furthermore, users are able to send information retrieved from an announcement to their e-mail account. The Interactive Column employs content administration facilities, such as information sources management, and embedding of RSS feeds.
- Interactive Map is a system that comprises points of interest shown on a map which allows users to extract information in multimedia content and text form with the touch of their fingers.
- Media Gallery allows browsing and exploring large collections of multimedia information using touchless remote interaction, by employing computer vision technologies. Media Gallery contains a grid of multimedia components through which the user may select the item of interest. The functionalities that the system offers include: (a) quick overview of the entire collection, (b) focus on a single item to obtain additional information (e.g., a short description) and easy browsing of items in the vicinity.
- Panoptes is a digital exhibition-catalogue system which allows visitors to browse its content and dwell on details of images, read accompanying texts and follow threads of information. Panoptes builds upon the concepts of playful and aesthetic interaction combining functionality with playfulness and serendipity, thus offering an alternative to information kiosks used for browsing item collections.
- Infocloud comprises a collection of keywords, images and video thumbnails displayed on a large touch screen. When a word/image is selected, an information window opens, which may contain an image or video accompanied by a short textual description. All selected items can be freely moved and tossed around, as well as magnified or shrunk using multi touch gestures.
- Be There NOW! is an interactive system that allows the exploration of different sceneries and immerses the users in various landscapes, by depicting the visitors standing before it, within the landscapes and the vistas projected, as if they were at that place. The system comprises either a large screen, a (physical) cube, and a touch screen or a large multitouch display. The system contains a number of digital landscapes to which users can navigate by rotating the cube placed next to the system. In addition, users can take a snapshot and send it through e-mail to themselves or their friends, by touching the image of a camera on the nearby screen.
