Cork startup ShowGuider lands major deal with Dubai Airport
Based at Cork Institute of Technology’s Nimbus Centre, ShowGuider is developing a site model of the airport free zone to help visitors navigate their way around the near-700,000 sq m facility which plays host to more than 1,600 companies including Rolls Royce, General Electric and Bentely.
“We are very pleased that ShowGuider has been awarded this prestigious contract which is giving us a tremendous opportunity to showcase Irish technological innovation globally,” said ShowGuider’s Martin Klepal.
“Dubai Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports and their Free Zone is home to many of the world’s most successful international businesses and commercial events.”
The interactive model will comprise of floor-by-floor, 3D replicas of the 300 or so buildings within the free zone.
Tapping on location icons attached to buildings and facilities within the ShowGuider model, visitors will be able to quickly navigate to their requested destination and to access a range of information such as the real-time availability of meeting rooms and even daily restaurant menus.
It is hoped that a traffic monitoring feature integrating high-quality CCTV IP cameras, which has been custom developed for inclusion in the system, will be instrumental in solving a major traffic congestion problem for the free zone.
The system will also integrate with the zone’s existing app. ShowGuider is the only company of its kind in the world that develops everything in-house without the need for third parties, said CEO Tom Kavanagh.
Incorporated in 2014, the company is a small time operation with just three employees but is hiring to expand its team.
Somewhat surprisingly for a company of its size, the Dubai Airport Free Zone contract win isn’t its largest deal to date.
Dubai has proved a particularly fruitful market having secured a deal with the Dubai World Trade Centre at last year’s Gitex technology conference.
Following the success of that partnership, ShowGuider is looking to land a long-term contract with Dubai World Trade Centre.
