Application of Mobile Navigation Systems in Social Networks of Historic Sites

Abstract

In the past, the area in Taichung that surrounded the train station, i.e. The Central District, was the core of urban development. As the population grew, transportation infrastructure expanded, and urban development and land use became available, this core widened to the west and north. Due to external factors, such as the development of other Urban Land Consolidations and the establishment of large department stores, as well as internal factors, such as traffic congestion, lack of parking space, shortage of public facilities, and cramped pedestrian spaces, the Central District has seen a recession and gradual decline [1]. As the Central District was once a business center, it has many advantages such as the train station and central bus station, well-known stores, historic sites, and architecture, and it is also an important resource for cultural tourism development. Integrating digital technology and social networks for mobile navigated tourism has become more common in recent years. This study focused on revitalizing idle space in Taichung City's Central District and exploring a novel mobile navigation medium in order to integrate the Central District's physical settings and a variety of abundant information technology, thereby creating a tourist environment suitable for users. The purpose was to create new vitality, increase people flow, and promote the tourism industry in the Central District. For the revitalization of the Central District of Taichung City, this study adopted action research and location-based services (LBS) technologies to explore local spatial settings. Highly-effective social network platforms were used to increase interaction and exchanges among Taichung City residents, thus establishing an interpersonal Central District network. Moreover, Global Positioning System (GPS) was adopted in the form of mobile navigation, game applications, micro movies, and online platforms to revitalize the Central District's historic sites and idle space, thus incorporating new vitality into tourism development.