BetaCityYEG is partnering with the Edmonton Heritage Council to deploy some very exciting new technology that relates to proximity-based communication. Google released Eddystone last year, its open-source beacon framework, and we recently purchased Estimote’s beacons to start playing with the concept of place-based messaging. At $20 a beacon, the city could use these little devices to send a message about history, art, food, events to anyone interested when they walk within a certain distance of a placed beacon. While designed to work with anyone who has installed Chrome on their phone, we will likely utilize a custom app for users to download and interact with their city, environment, history, and culture in an immersive digital/physical experience.
