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Audio Tour Executive Summary

Seeking to further support and enrich the self-guiding visitor experience at your outdoor venue, or boost ADA, DOT, FHA, DHS, DCA Compliance and DEI? Please click here for a live Audio Tour demo, or view a YouTube intro video, or see advantages described below for the web page-based Golocating Audio Tour.

Setting up an Audio Tour requires only that your venue subscribe (at no cost for nonprofits) and make available an outdoor venue map. You then create and self-manage scripts and media content which are immediately shared with visitors as a Geolocating Audio Tour on their GPS-enabled smartphone or tablet. To quick-start your subscription click or copy this email address or call 732-229-5234.

You might consult the informative guidelines from the North American Alliance for Environmental Education to help your organization's decision-making regarding programs your organization may implement. Please consider a tax-deductible donation that enables no-cost Geolocating Audio Tour subscriptions for nonprofit venues.

Benefits of this web page-based Audio Tour:

• Audio Tour can substitute when expert guide staff are unavailable, to assure that the self-guiding visitor experience is rewarding and never inadequate.
• Audio Tour opens up opportunities to harness guide staff's creative power and expertise as they dynamically develop and evolve scripts and produce media content that can promote inquiry, forge connections, encourage respect, and motivate commitment during a self-guiding visitor's environmental experience.
• A visual map of the venue appears on the visitor's GPS-enabled device with a live dynamic marker that continually shows the visitor's geolocation, and also indicates the direction that the visitor is walking (or if not walking, the direction that visitor's GPS-and-compass-enabled device is pointed).
• Following any route taken by the visitor and with no button pressing, Audio Tour automatically provides a customized sequence of audio messages.
• Multi-lingual capability is easily scripted, with choice of language continually selectable by visitor.
• Varied themes can be scripted, with choice of theme continually selectable by visitor.
• The game theme when selected on the user's device authentically simulates a directional radio tracker ideal for geocaching or treasure hunt games.
• Tour audio messages are primarily generated by the browser text-to-speech feature of any smartphone browser selected by visitor.
• Messages also can be pre-recorded audio tracks. This increases the cellular data bandwidth used by a visitor's device, however.
• Messages can include graphics or pictures in a pop-up window.
• Each message is associated with a precise GPS latitude and longitude at the venue and optionally the visitor's walking direction (or if not walking, the direction that visitor's device is pointed).
• Audio message scripts are easily added, deleted or edited as text by venue facilitators on any desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Similarly, audio and graphic media are easily uploaded and associated with message circles. Messages can be previewed onsite or offsite on the editing device, with no GPS capability required.
• Signage and physical markers at the venue can be coordinated with an Audio Tour, most simply by providing a QR code for visitors to initially launch the Audio Tour.
• The Audio Tour cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) is automatically maintained and kept up-to-date, and is accessed simply by calling up a web page on a smartphone or tablet. There is NO app that must be downloaded or updated.
• There is minimal data usage on each visitor's cellular plan when exclusively or mostly using browser text-to-speech. Audio Tour automatically scales up to support all venue visitors at the same time.

The above features bypass disadvantages of conventional Audio Tours:

• NO extra device that is rented out by venue and must be learned by visitors
• NO verbose signage that distracts and may cause uncomfortable congestion along a path
• NO continual button-pressing or separate QR codes to hear location-specific messages
• NO trying to interpret venue's static guide map to figure out one's location or direction
• NO app to download and manipulate or update
• NO Internet connectivity needed after browsing to Audio Tour web page IF messages are all browser text-to-speech without graphics-pictures... device can be switched to airplane mode
• NO excessive visitor cellular data plan usage
• NO expensive pre-recorded sound tracks required
• NO exclusively non-timely or generic-only messages with Audio Tour's instant-update capability

To send comments or questions email at nearbyrealitytour@gmail.com or call 732-229-5234.

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Audio Tour Demo

You can try the Audio Tour Demo on your smartphone or tablet at your current location, wherever you might be!

The Audio Tour Demo has a specially-generated map for product evaluation. An Audio Tour for an actual outdoor venue would show that venue's map, overlaid by the visitor's location marker along with a few easy-to-use buttons. Note that the edit button is NOT available for this demo. With the edit button, venue facilitators access menus to create or modify their Audio Tour messages. Email to nearbyrealitytour@gmail.com or call 732-229-5234 for more information.

Please first read the introduction below, then CLICK HERE to launch the interactive Audio Tour Demo.

• Choose an outdoor location for your start point so you can safely roam up to 50 meters (150 feet) in any direction.
• Launch the Audio Tour Demo web page. Then choose your language, read the on-screen instructions, and click to review the User and Customer License Agreement.
• If you accept the Agreement, click the button I agree.
• Then please be standing at your start point location, and stay there for the few seconds until the red-colored animated bird icon appears at the START POINT label at the center of the map.
• Click to choose a theme, then click the Listen button. If it is safe to do so, move up to fifty meters away from your start point in any direction.
• Expect to hear a message whenever the bird icon is within an orange circle. If there is a darker, thicker line segment along the circle, point the back or top of your device so the bird icon points toward that line segment to hear the matching message.
• Your choice of language and theme generates a unique set of messages, indicated visually by a different set of orange circles on the map.
• You can change language or theme at any time.
• The two most recently played messages will not repeat, but can be re-activated by clicking stop listening then start listening.
• You can reset your start point to a different location by clicking the set start button at upper right, or reloading the demo web page.
• The Audio Tour Demo has a specially-generated map for product evaluation. An Audio Tour for an actual outdoor venue would show that venue's map, overlaid by the visitor's location marker along with a few easy-to-use buttons. Note that the edit button is NOT available for this demo. With the edit button, venue facilitators access menus to create or modify their Audio Tour messages.
• CLICK HERE to launch the interactive Audio Tour Demo.

To send comments or questions email at nearbyrealitytour@gmail.com or call 732-229-5234.

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ANJEE 2021 Winter Conference Field Experience (February 2021)

This ANJEE (Alliance of NJ Environmental Educators) field experience at Jackson Woods Park in Long Branch will acquaint you with the Geolocating Audio Tour webpage-based application for smart devices, and demonstrate how Audio Tour can enhance the experience of self-guiding visitors at your outdoor venue.

Weather is predicted to be clear but cold during our 90-minute outdoor session. We will be social distancing with masks per ANJEE. Wear comfortable layers of outerwear, and sturdy shoes that will accommodate some wet trail areas. And be sure to bring your smartphone or cellular-capable tablet. Headphones are optional.

For your trip to Long Branch I suggest browsing on your smartphone to https://nearbyreality.com/jwp/ to launch your favorite GPS app showing precise directions to Jackson Woods parking lot where we will meet. The parking lot entrance is on your right traveling southbound on Ocean Blvd south of Atlantic Ave and before Avenel Blvd. Turn right into the driveway with the Jackson Woods Park sign.

Jackson Woods, where settlement dates back at least to the mid 1800's, combines a small pond, wetlands marsh, creek, deciduous forest, and varieties of wildlife that reflect its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and Long Branch Beach a short distance away.

At the start we will all browse to https://nearbyreality.com/jacksonwoods/ and confirm that the Audio Tour is functioning on everyone's smart device. If not, we will check your device settings that enable geolocation and device orientation access for your browser, and also confirm your ringer is switched on for listening.

Since an ANJEE field experience represents professional development for informal and classroom environmental educators, we will be thinking about ways that an Audio Tour might enhance environmental teaching and learning. Could it work as a prompting tool for a classroom teacher leading a tour? What are its opportunities to empower the self-guiding family or group collaborative learning experiences? Can an Audio Tour be demographically inclusive? How can Audio Tour content (1) engage visitors in inquiry and investigation; (2) challenge visitor environmental literacy; (3) promote biodiversity consciousness-raising; (4) forge connections with the immediate surroundings; (5) encourage behavior that respects, protects and defends the environment; (6) shape attitudes, motivations, and commitment regarding environmental issues? Your comments, suggestions and analysis of Audio Tour will be appreciated.

FYI, from anywhere using your smartphone or PC or Mac you can browse to https://nearbyreality.com/jacksonwoods/ to view the park trail map. However you must be in-person at Jackson Woods Park to experience the Audio Tour audio messages and location-tracking. General information about Audio Tour is at https://nearbyreality.com/ website.

From Jackson Woods it is a short walk or car ride east to the Atlantic Ocean and many miles of accessible beach. There will be time after the ANJEE event for attendees to explore on their own the off-season ecology of the beach, and also perhaps do takeout from one of Long Branch's 100+ restaurants to complete the day. If you have extra time before the event you might do breakfast/brunch takeout from popular Amy's Omelette House at the mini-mall across Avenel Blvd. just south of the Jackson Woods parking lot and the garden apartment complex.

My somewhat dated but still accurate Long Branch Beach map is at: https://nearbytv.com/Long_Branch_beach_map/ which is linked from http://longbranchbeach.com/ website. Boardwalk restrooms are locked for the off-season except for the restroom at Laird Street at the boardwalk which remains open and has adjacent parking on Laird St.

If you would like to try editing Audio Tour scripts from your home or work, contact Phil for a website URL, login and password. This access is standardly available to the designated facilitator for a venue's Audio Tour.

Please contact Phil Falcone pffalcone@gmail.com or nearbyrealitytour@gmail.com or 732-229-5234 with any questions or concerns, and also to share your reflections about Audio Tour. I look forward to Audio Touring with you at Jackson Woods Park.

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Audio Tour Development Timeline

Since its September 2019 introduction at the ANJEE (Alliance of NJ Environmental Educators) Fall Conference, the Geolocating Audio Tour continues to strengthen its robust design and efficient user-friendly features. Improvement milestones reached from the present day going back in time to September 2019 are listed immediately below. Following these already-achieved milestones you'll find anticipated future goals and plans, contact info, and an inspirational poem. Please note that the most recent software revision date appears on-screen when an Audio Tour is launched.

Already-implemented improvements:

• If a theme labeled game is scripted, then selecting the game theme causes the user's device to authentically simulate a directional radio tracker ideal for geocaching or treasure hunt games.
• Visitor's screen shifts to a more-detailed map automatically and seamlessly when zooming the screen from wide to close-up, with the dual-map option allowing more information to be shared.
• SVG format for maps is available for better resolution, and for higher contrast when viewing in sunlight.
• Orientation of red location marker on map now consistently shows visitor's direction of movement aligned with visitor's changing map location. This update adds compass-style capability for smartphones and tablets that don't have a magnetometer or are held arbitrarily. Whenever visitor is not moving, map location marker defaults to the device's magnetometer if available, otherwise holds the prior orientation.
• Venue facilitators can change the theme associated with a message, and also can now create their own custom-named themes. Any theme can be eliminated from the home screen theme pulldown by disassociating all messages from that theme. Adding or deleting a map or language from home screen pulldowns still requires action by the software vendor.
• During Audio Tour editing, you can preview text-to-speech or pre-recorded audio along with the associated picture pop-up by clicking the Start Listening button.
• Venue facilitators (or their contractors) can directly upload media files (graphics, pictures and pre-recorded audio) to Audio Tour's web host servers, and also can delete these media files (mp3, jpg, jpeg, png, gif files 500KB or smaller) as they are editing their Audio Tour content. After uploading, venue facilitators associate their uploaded media with particular Audio Tour message circles.
• Pre-recorded audio and on-screen graphics or pictures can now be included in any Audio Tour message, with pre-recorded audio overriding a text audioscript. A picture can appear automatically as a pop-up window whenever the visitor is geolocated within the associated message circle.
• Overall screen ambiance was darkened for better viewing in sunlight.
• Significantly smoother map pan and zoom on smartphone or tablet was implemented.
• Range for map zoom was increased for touchscreen devices, and also for laptops by adding zoom buttons to the editing screen.
• Audio Tour menu button labels were revised at user request.
• Audio Tour features are continually optimized in response to on-site testing with users.
• Collaborations were initiated with stakeholders including historical society and landmark site friends-of groups, to prototype multi-themed Audio Tours for historic walking paths.
• Collaborations continue with environmental advocates and friends-of groups to develop multi-themed Audio Tours for urban parks.
• Grant applications were submitted in October 2020 and August 2021 in response to the Mosaic Environmental Movement Infrastructure RFP. Grant funding from public and private sources will help defray the cost of providing the Geolocating Audio Tour software platform free to nonprofits.
• Applied and was accepted for membership in Fractured Atlas (NYC). Accordingly, FA is now the Geolocating Audio Tour project's nonprofit fiscal sponsor, facilitating tax-deductible grants and donations to the project.
• Connected with a city Green Team, Environmental Commission and friends group to plan an Audio Tour at local park, including drawing an updated trail map.
• Improved location marker accuracy on return to web page.
• Implemented user device power-saving when not on web page.
• Anywhere-anytime demo longitude (horizontal) scale was corrected, now accurate.
• The message circle overlay on venue maps was made less obtrusive.
• Map response to user pan-zoom gestures was improved.
• License agreement terms (along with translations) were refined.
• Corrected Android direction-pointing error.
• Added feature for hosts to create trail-mapping markers while walking along a path.
• Performance improvements for better response to user actions.
• Ongoing maintenance for bug fixes.
• Improved screen performance so only the map pans-zooms, not other parts of screen.
• Reorganized databases to more efficiently service all hosts.
• Restructured data flow among software modules for better security and maintainability.
• Added pulldowns to improve audio message editing efficiency for hosts.
• Simplified displayed buttons so Audio Tour is easier and clearer to use.
• Re-programmed buttons to be visible only when needed.
• Fully implemented editing features for hosts, including displaying real-time updates.
• Shifted all venue host content to databases on server to improve core software maintainability and performance.
• Improved response of messages playing during Audio Tour.
• Refined user device GPS data access and processing.
• Implemented desktop capability.
• Improved Android functionality.
• Added license and disclaimer as clickthrough for use of Audio Tour.
• Added pan-zoom capability for user to manipulate map display.
• Enhanced location marker on map to show direction that device is pointing.
• Provided capability to launch user's favorite GPS app on smartphone with directions from user's current location to the precise GPS location of a venue entrance.

Future goals:

• To improve accuracy of GPS tracking along a venue's trail map by refining Audio Tour's algorithms for improved startup, reduced interference, and better detection and offset of typical GPS drift of +- 3 meters.
• Experimenting with hands-free control of an Audio Tour including physically bumping device when it is less accessible such as in visitor's pocket.
• Arranging for e-commerce such as Stripe for payments for Audio Tour commercial subscriptions and hourly services.
• Facilitating tech-savvy HS students collaborating with younger students to share and update their learning and writings about the environment within an Audio Tour.
• Monitoring ongoing R&D in Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineering such as neural networks, fuzzy logic, and machine learning (ML).
• Monitoring AI-enhanced text-to-speech that promises natural near-human realism for synthesized voices. Avatar broadcast news presenters in Japan for instance demonstrate uncanny realism from varying parameters of voice style, volume, tone, intonation, emphasis, inflection, rate, pitch and pitch range, contour, pacing, and more.
• Adding cross-referencing indexes such as a venue attractions list that can link to particular locations on map or access related information.
• Testing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) capabilities of the Audio Tour.

To send comments or questions click or copy this email address for or call 732-229-5234.

The Audio Tour project moves forward perched on the shoulders of humankind's giants of media history. Like most other media genres, Audio Tour helps self-guiding visitors explore unfamiliar spaces and confidently move forward, as the inspirational poem below suggests.

In her poem LET IT GO, poet Danna Faulds mindfully navigates to achieve a degree of certainty amidst vast uncertainty.

Let go of the ways you thought life
would unfold; the holding of plans
or dreams or expectations – Let it
all go. Save your strength to swim
with the tide. The choice to fight
what is here before you now will
only result in struggle, fear, and
desperate attempts to flee from the
very energy you long for. Let go.
Let it all go and flow with the grace
that washes through your days whether
you receive it gently or with all your
quills raised to defend against invaders.
Take this on faith; the mind may never
find the explanations that it seeks, but
you will move forward nonetheless.
Let go, and the wave’s crest will carry
you to unknown shores, beyond your
wildest dreams or destinations. Let it
all go and find the place of rest and
peace, and certain transformation.

©2002 by Danna Faulds
Published in her book
Go In and In: Poems from the Heart of Yoga