Yinguang Lane in Beitou, a suburb of Taipei, is famous for its hot springs, and for the rich variety of ferns and other plants growing in the laneways of the district.
The main industry in the area is tourism. Now, tourists staying at the Asia Pacific Resort, Lotus Spa, or the Spa Spring Resort, can hire a smartphone from the hotel that will help them navigate in the area.
In particular, it can be used to recognise plant species, some of which have existed since the Jurassic era.
The smartphones are supplied by the Institute for Information Industry, which has launched a a project called the Yinguang Lane Technical Trail project.
The aim of the project is to provide an E-Narrator services. It consists of a GPS navigation system and a handheld device, such as a smart phone or a PDA.
Tourists take the handheld device close to a plant, and the system automatically plays an audio and text guide to the plant. A picture of the plant is also displayed on the screen to help recognise it.
E-Narrator uses the SuperGIS Mobile Engine as its development core.