The City of Little Rock unveiled a project two years in the making this morning, one that may change the way you interact with the community.
Smart City Kiosks puts the city in the palm of your hands.
Imagine a very, very large phone screen with all the details you need to know about the area you live in, or the area you're visiting. With one touch, these kiosks connect you to instant information.
“Basically, word of mouth is most of our business anyway. Basically, it's an electronic word of mouth,” said owner of Iriana’s Pizza, John Iriana.
Downtown Little Rock just got an upgrade!
“When you walk up, encourage people to touch because it is an interactive network,” said a representative from Smart City Media.
Mayor Mark Stodola hopes the new additions will help inform, entertain and connect people to the area.
“It addresses things not just for our own citizens, but visitors alike. Certainly, it's appropriate that we put one here in front of the Convention Center, since we've got about 300,000 people that come into the center every year,” Stodola added.
A total of 15 kiosks will be located throughout the downtown area, River Market and Main Street.
“Here you have events, if you push an event you'll learn more particulars,” a representative demonstrated.
All you have to do to operate the kiosk is touch, search and explore.
You can even share your findings or take a selfie and send it to yourself.
"I definitely think it's a plus one because if you're a visitor, such as I am, and you want to familiarize yourself with what’s going on in the local community it's a great tool to play around with,” said Milton Tyrrell, a visitor from New York.
The city is aiming to increase citizen engagement and promote small businesses.
Each kiosk will feature free WiFi hotspots, wayfinding, a city directory, events calendar and more.
"I thought it was really neat, very big city. It's like having a big Facebook page on the street. People constantly are coming in and want to know what's to do in downtown Little Rock,” Iriana said.
If you’re interested in checking out the kiosk, the only one installed right now sits in front of the Convention Center.
It also features direct lines to 911 and can be coded to different languages.