Digitization on the rise: Quiz app as strong as a lion

Just in time for the start of the excursion season, a new digital offer enriches the animal experience in Herberstein: a quiz app with near-field communication from Styria.

In the course of our Let’s Cluster event, an adventurous quiz app with near-field communication was initiated by the Styrian government together with the Gratkorn-based company NXP, the Silicon Alps Cluster, Technical University of Graz, 2B1 Consulting KG and the tourism marketing online agency Crosseye in cooperation with XAMOOM. The project acts as a showcase for digitization and sustainable added value for developing the Silicon Alps region.

Exciting quiz questions guide you through the zoo and make the excursion even more exciting. In 15 selected enclosures, NFC chips are clearly visible on the enclosure boards. If the zoo guest scans the chip with their smartphone, the question appears with three possible answers.

“The app works using near field communication (NFC). This technology was our invention together with Sony and has become an integral part of our lives. NFC chips are also used in ATM cards for contactless payment,” NXP managing director Markus Stäblein explains.

The process was supported by the Silicon Alps Cluster, as Managing Director David Tatschl explains: “In joint creative workshops with experts from Graz University of Technology, ideas were created out of the box that were incorporated into the app.”
“A particularly beautiful example of how the connection between tourism, business and science is lived in Styria. A great added value for the Herberstein animal world and a project that can serve as an example for other zoos or excursion destinations,” says Regional Councilor Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, delighted with the end product.

A new educational program with high interactivity is guaranteed, as the app was primarily designed for schools and educational institutions and is available to all zoo guests and is suitable for all ages.

The app is available for download under the name “TIERISCH COOL”. On Sunday, March 14, 2021, the documentary “Experience Austria” with the title “Löwenstarkes Apple Country – Summer Resort in Eastern Styria” aired on ORF.

Opening hours Zoo Herberstein:
Open daily from March 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.