The Visit East Lothian App – which is now available for download - uses live sensor data from eleven of East Lothian Council’s coastal carparks.
The app allows users to check the busyness of these areas before setting out or while travelling to the destination.
Traveltech for Scotland, a partnership initiative hosted and supported by the University’s Edinburgh Futures Institute, kick-started the data innovation project to support the tourism industry’s Covid-19 recovery.
Real time data
The app – which covers the East Lothian coastline from Longniddry to Skateraw – uses real time data provided by sensor and mapping technology developed by EDINA and the IoT (Internet of Things) innovation teams at the University of Edinburgh.
East Lothian has some of the most scenic and visited beaches in Scotland and these can become very busy – especially in the summer.
The East Lothian team responsible for managing the destination took action to develop a product which can help to protect the area and ensure visitors can enjoy East Lothian in a safe and responsible manner
The app has a traffic light system to help visitors and residents avoid busy hotspots.
Users can search for their preferred parking location and view the main facilities and amenities at each beach – and in surrounding towns and villages – at a glance. It also shows a range of accommodation in the area.
East Lothian Council staff on the ground have the ability to manually add and update details, so that those looking to visit the beach will have the most up to date information.
Partnership project
The project is part of Scotland’s Traveltech work enabling the use of technology in the tourism industry, in hospitality businesses and by visitors to maximise their travel experience.
“The creation of the Visit East Lothian App has been a great example of collaborative working between East Lothian Council teams and the University of Edinburgh departments to help solve a visitor management issue and produce an extremely useful tool for visitors and locals alike.”says Jamie Baker, Service Manager, Economic Development, East Lothian Council.
Traveltech for Scotland works with and supports more than 100 traveltech organisations in the sector to help Scotland’s economy recover in a sustainable fashion, rebuild and thrive. It is supported by the multidisciplinary and collaborative ethos of Edinburgh Futures Institute.