Tourism is one of the fastest expanding industries of the state. Research by international agencies have found that most tourist have problems in finding the right information at the right time about the right place. We do have information centers and other sources of information availing facilities already operating in the state, but their operations have limitations. We have created this site so as to bring to the notice of the Government of Kerala which is trying to bring advances in the governance of the state utilizing Information Technology. We have done a case study including brain storming sessions and approximate cost analysis for an automated tourist guidance system, which utilizes the power of GPS and detailed information that our archaeological department, forest department and other such government organizations hold. The preliminary study done by us has proven to us beyond doubt that such a system is feasible and more over required for the proper development of tourism in the state.


Problems Faced By Tourist Today: -

Many are cheated by scrupulous and dishonest transport operators (like auto drivers, taxi drivers etc). Tourists find it difficult to find places of interest that are not very well known Tourists have difficulty in knowing before hand the available accommodations and their costs etc. They are forced to rely solely on advertisements by first party for the same. Language barriers are existent for most available tourist guides and those that are bilingual tend to charge very high remuneration. The ability to know exactly where one is on a map is very vital information. They find it difficult to plan their trip before hand in an informed manner. Limitations we have in implementing such a system: -
A state wide wireless network does not exist The different departments are not working in unison and collecting information simultaneously from them will be a difficult task. Data collection will be the most difficult part of the project.
This site includes an SRS that has been developed in order to give the interested party an idea about what the software would be. Also included are Cost estimation and a sample screen shot of the software.
Short explanation of the system:- The system consists of a DVD with the database of the states tourist information including fares for transport, accommodation food, entry etc. The DVD also contains the state satellite map. The tourist is given a GPS module along with the DVD; this module provides the software with current location. The software then retrieves the map location and all related information and displays on a GUI as shown in the screen shot. The tourist should be able to search for a place and find all related information too. The tourist should also be given his opportunity to sell back the unit for a given price. Our preliminary study has shown that when done in a large scale the cost per unit can be brought down to around 3000 – 4000 rs which is between 75-100 USD which is acceptable to tourist from the survey we conducted among 20 tourists traveling inside the state. All of the also felt such a system could have made their stay in Kerala much better.