During the first day of the virtual Study Visit, many good practices and policies were presented. Firstly, Lorenzo Montagna from SecondStar presented the state of the art of augmented and virtual reality technologies. Pierre Bonnet presented then Pl@ntnet, an app that helps users all over the world recognizing plants and flowers, and AdHoc 3D, a company highly specialized in the field of geomatics, surveying, and design. Mirko Fortuna talked about Gran Paradiso VR – the experience of nature, a project which allows the user to enjoy a virtual climb to the top of Gran Paradiso mountain. Fondation Grand Paradis, the host of the Study Visit, presented their Visit Gran Paradiso app, which provides visitors with information, maps, and 360 photos and videos. Carlo Vigna, Director of Technological Systems of Aosta Valley Autonomous Region, talked about the innovation policies in the alpine region and analyzed the concept of smart villages and their possible applications. In the afternoon a video introduction to Move Different was shared. Move Different is a rehabilitation clinic that employs augmented reality and hi-tech machines to improve their medical results. CVA, a public company producing renewable energy was presented by its CEO Enrico De Girolamo. Ludovico Bonora talked about the experience of the Google Developer Group in Aosta Valley and, finally, Viviana Vallet, director of the Superintendence Department for Aosta Valley Autonomous Region, provided an overview on the future regional investments in different medieval castles.
On the second day, participants met the founder of Peakfinder, an app with more than one million users which allows recognizing every mountain just watching the skyline with a smartphone. Researchers from the University of Milan have shown some possible applications of virtual reality in environmental research. Christian Greco, director of the Museo Egizio in Turin illustrated the digitalization process of his museum. Finally, Fabio Viola talked about the power of video games as “engagement machines” and his experience in designing the Father and Son app for the Naples Museum.
The technical meeting was then held. The Digitourism partner identified as most relevant practices those presented by
Pierre Bonnet – Pl@ntnet
Elisa Vuillermoz, Fondation Grand Paradis – Visit Gran Paradiso app
Carlo Vigna, Aosta valley autonomous region – Smart villages policies
Fabio Viola, Tuo Museo – Father and Son app
