Touch-screen technology coming downtown

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Online kiosk will provide info on where to shop, dine By Maria D. Martirano, Times-News Staff Writer Saturday, April 16, 2005 9:24 AM EDT CUMBERLAND - When the kiosk downtown goes online, information won't be available through the touch of a finger but rather the sound the finger makes when it touches the screen. "It is unlike anything we've had before," Rick Collins said of the technology. Collins, along with Barb Buehl and Jonathan Hutcherson, talked about the pilot project that will allow people to call up information about places to dine, shop and stay, during the Downtown Development Commission's monthly meeting Thursday at City Hall. "When we were thinking about locations, the original hardware was for indoors," Buehl, executive director of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce, said. "But we realized a prime location would be downtown on Baltimore Street." The location for one of the pilot projects will be in Isiminger Town Center in one of the permanent kiosks. Buehl said the site is ideal because it is well-traveled and it will be available 24 hours a day. Buehl asked members to approve not only the location, but also the ability to "retrofit" the kiosk for the screen. Members unanimously approved the motion and to pay for the work if necessary. "What this will do is show people what is downtown, what's around the corner, what's at Canal Place and other areas," Buehl said. She said she'd like to have it in place June 3, which is the weekend of the Airport Autocross and Road Rally. State tourism officials also will be in the area for a meeting, and a tourism fair could be part of the unveiling. She said the beauty of the kiosks is that each one can be individualized to the site. For example, the one at Sideling Hill will be designed to bring people to the area, while the one downtown will give specific hours and places to dine and shop. Buehl said the information for the kiosks will be "very flexible" with the one downtown updated every time the chamber updates its database. Stakeholders will be given the opportunity to update their own sites as well. Hutcherson of Exclamation Labs said the design is "fairly straightforward" and a screen saver that will catch one's eye will be designed. Once past the main page, the screen will show four main categories - dining, shopping, attractions and lodging. From there, upcoming events, best deals and specials, whether it's rates at a hotel or packages, will be listed. Members had some concern about vandalism and durability in the environment. Collins of Mel's Business Systems Inc. said the indoor machines are a "hunk of iron" and he's confident that they're a "pretty indestructible piece of equipment." For an outdoor site, he said the screen will consist of a "highly durable, impact-resistance glass." Buehl said she can envision the kiosks in businesses such as the Western Maryland Health System where not only would an individual be able to learn about that campus, but also the various events locally. She can see them stationed along the Allegheny Highlands Trail so those hiking and bicycling can "see what's available if they step off the path." Buehl is also imagining ways to underwrite some of the costs, such as a bank or a gas station could pay to have their locations listed. Hutcherson added that he sees the technology expanding into other cities and states by "osmosis." Kiosks will be located at two sites in Garrett County, the Frostburg Depot and possibly another Frostburg location. An Appalachian Regional Commission grant funded the pilot project with matching funds from the county and in-kind services. Maria D. Martirano can be reached at mmartirano@times-news.com.