Geomedia Develops Interactive App for San Antonio Parks Foundation
Geomediadevelops an interactive app for San Antonio Parks Foundation’s Japanese Tea Garden, captivating visitors through educational entertainment experiences.
The gardens have a glorious history dating back well over 100 years. While the location once operated as just a rock quarry, today the Japanese Tea Garden are one of the most loved, picturesque, inspiring, and cultural resources in San Antonio.
The San Antonio Parks Foundation, which operates the Tea Garden, were searching for an innovative method to inform and entertain the thousands who visit the gardens each year.
Traditional solutions like large installed signs were considered BUT avoided as they took away from the tranquil beauty of the garden.
The San Antonio Parks Foundation decided to try a more modern and less invasive approach and chose to developm a mobile app to tell the complete story of this favorite San Antonio destination.
Geomedia developed clean application to provide historical value without taking away from the park’s serenity.
The parks foundation partnered with Geomedia to created the “Japanese Tea Garden Augmented Reality App” based on immersive educational and entertaining experience that explores this popular and remarkable destination. The app utilizes Augmented Reality or “AR” technology to enhance several key areas throughout the Garden.
Snapshot of “in-app” instructions designed for user experience.
The built-in map feature helps visitors navigate the garden’s scenic pathways and discover amazing AR experiences.
Interactive map and navigation built inside the application.
The majestic Torii gateway that welcomes visitors shares a controversial past. And users learn the significance of a Torii and what it represents to Japanese culture.
Connecting park experiences to history with interactive presentation.
The long history of the Garden can be explored through a timeline of photos and stories.
The user interface or “UI” facilitates extensive and rich connection to the park’s history.
In the lower garden, users can use a color palette to customize the look of their very own Koi fish or Waterlily, then cast them into the garden’s ponds via Augmented Reality (AR).
Visitors can personalize a Koi fish and “cast” them into the garden’s pond via Augmented Reality.
There are challenging vintage picture puzzles to solve, and visitors can snap a photo with Kokoro, the Japanese Tea Garden’s resident magical dragon.
AR Kokoro fly’s around the park and you can even take picture with him!
A special section of the app explores the importance of the Japanese Tea ceremony and also includes a history of the Jingu Family, the original caretakers of the Tea Garden.
The Jingu Family are one of “San Antonio’s unique assets.”
For years, the history, traditions and importance of San Antonio’s Japanese Tea Garden went largely unexplained and misunderstood. This new AR app now allows visitors to discover and engage with the many features of this remarkable and wonderful park.
Download the Japanese Tea Garden AR app for Apple iOS.
