Municipality of Heraklion
Tourism Department
Info Point
Nikiforou Foka square (Lions square)
tel.: 2813409777-80
Fax: 2813409781
FACEBOOK: Heraklion Municipal Tourist Department
INSTAGRAM: heraklion_info_point
TWITTER: @Heraklion_info
The information office for the visitors of Heraklion City (Info point),
which started its operation in August 2014, is located in the ground floor of
"Aktarika" building ( Lions square).
Its purpose is to develop tourism activities and improve the tourism
services provided in the city of Heraklion
(e.g. with the edition of tourist information material, brochures, maps,
the participation in tourism exhibitions, the creation of communication
networks and the cooperation with other areas in and out of the country).
This project is funded by the European Program Leader - "Rural Development of Greece 2007-2013". It is the first organized information point for the thousands visitors of our city. In this the visitors will have access to information concerning the city and island of Crete. The opening hours for the public are 8.30 a.m. to 14.30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
The office has been designed to host the following information systems:
Infocloud: A wide touch screen presenting a colorful mosaic of small icons or words (word cloud). The user can choose an icon / word in order to watch a wide range of relevant material and information. The user can move on to a next choice following an indicator on the screen or return to the home page of icons / words.
Live Desk Map: A customized map is activated when a piece of paper is placed on it. The system includes a table covered by a printed map presenting city names and locations. The visitors can place square cardboards with colored frame on the map. Each cardboard depicts the part of the map underneath it with a centered magnifying lens. If the cardboard and lens are placed over the location of a city, relevant information is presented (texts, icons, videos). The user can navigate on it by using virtual tabs presented on the cardboard. The color of the frame indicates the language in which the information is presented.
Interactive printed material: Through this system actual printed paper can be enriched by multimedia information and interact with its user. While a visitor browses a brochure on a hi-tech screen table the system recognizes the current page and offers relevant multimedia information either on the brochure or next to it. In addition, the visitor can interact with the printed material by using an infrared marker e.g. choose places of interest from the browsed pages.
Interactive Disk of Festos: The system consists of a rotating disk manufactured to offer a feeling of clay with a representation of the disk of Festos on its surface. The user can rotate the disk 360º degrees in order to see its back side. A touch on the disk can provide information about it and its individual symbols, which accordingly present multimedia information if selected. In addition, one can use two fingers on and off the screen (i.e. the typical magnification gesture used on many touch screens) and a magnifying lens is presented with multilevel magnification possibility.
Be there NOW!: Several places of interest together with information titles are presented through high analysis pictures or videos on a wall. By standing in front of the wall the visitor can watch himself move "live" in the picture presented.
Media Gallery: This system consists of a wide screen, where sliding icons are presented. The visitor can interact with the system from a distance by moving one of his hands on air. The actual hand movement reflects on the movement of a virtual hand on screen. The user can choose an icon by placing his hand on it. The icon is presented in high analysis on the screen followed by a relevant information title. Using hand movement all the virtual tabs can be viewed, offering the possibility of viewing the different pictures, as well as using a magnifying lens or returning back to the sliding icons.
Game Kiosk: The "Game Kiosk" consists of a multitouch screen which can be used by one or more players at the same time presenting a variety of entertaining and educational games.
Interactive illuminative stand: An illuminative stand placed between two columns will include LED lighting with the possibility of color and intensity gradation. This stand will interact with the visitors'' movements by dynamic changes of color and intensity.
An Information system equipped with a touch screen and 15 available Tablets, providing an updated tour guide of Heraklion City and an application with a 3D and interaktive representation of Heraklion of the Venetian period.
