prove the most successful in actually bringing people to the system. 1 Nielsen Media, “State of the Media 2010: U.S. Audiences and Devices,” NielsenWire (2010); see also Roger Enter, “Smartphone to Overtake Feature Phones in U.S. by 2011,” NielsenWire (26 March 2010). Smartphone Application Search the System Users could discover the history of individual features of the Croton Waterworks, searching by feature name, area, or typology. Section 4: Interpretation Smartphone Application Top Left: The Croton Aqueduct App Logo and Homescreen Top Right: App navigation diagram for the “Search by Name” feature Bottom Left: Navigation diagram for the “History of the System” feature Bottom Right: Navigation diagram showing the various ways to search for information about the Croton Waterworks within the app 71 QR Codes QR, or “quick response,” codes have increased in popularity in America as of late, but have been around for more than a decade in Japan. They are similar to bar codes, and can be scanned by a smartphone’s camera to link to a specific web page. Since many smartphones come with QR-scanning abilities automatically included, they would allow people to find out about the Croton Waterworks without any prior knowledge of its existence. These QR codes can link to text pages, an audio file, or even a video on YouTube. The two codes on the center and bottom right link to the Croton Waterworks website and an interpretive Croton video, respectively. QR codes have begun to be used for interpretation of historic sites in the United States. For example, QR code signs can be found all along the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area in Georgia (top right). QR codes are readable at many sizes, and simply require a flat surface to be placed on. What’s better is that QR codes are inexpensive and can be placed in many different locations along the Croton Waterworks, and could be especially useful in urban locations where aboveground signs of the system are not apparent. QR codes can also be printed on vinyl decals to attach to the ground or a vertical surface, or they could be painted using a temporary paint directly on the sidewalk or street. QR codes promise to become an indispensible tool for all types of interpretative programs. Section 4: Interpretation QR Codes Top: App navigation diagram showing how images could be provided for each site Center: Diagram showing the various features of the “Walking Tour” part of the app Bottom: Navigation diagram of the “Links” feature 72 73 GPS My City A simple and effective alternative to an iPhone or iPod Touch application, built from the ground up, is GPS My City, which has already developed a software platform dedicated to walking tours. What is unique about GPS My City is that the framework is already in place, requiring only textual and graphical information to be submitted. Essentially, users are able to author their very own walking tour without the daunting task of having to physically code it themselves. This type of application can also offer directions, maps, audio, and video features. http://www.gpsmycity.com/ Google Goggles is image recognition software for phones. Goggles allows users to take a picture of a building, logo, book, artwork, and so on, and quickly identify what it is they are looking at. For instance, Google Goggles can quickly identify a picture of the Empire State Building and provide a list of informative links and images relevant to that very building. This software is still relatively new and continues to be fine-tuned. However, some structures of the Croton Waterworks, such as the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and the New Croton Dam, have proven recognizable by this program. http://www.google.com/mobile/goggles Google City Tours Another innovation from Google is Google City Tours, a web-based technology that creates and manages travel itineraries for most major cities. However, what is most important about this software is its ability to upload and customize a user’s own Google Map, including specific sites and structures, to create his or her own itinerary. For example, a Google Map containing all or some of the Croton Waterworks’ structures could be uploaded and then made into a walking tour or multi-day adventure. With users’ information, Google will produce maps and directions to and from sites, and will also provide information about those structures. http://citytours.googlelabs.com/ Additional Digital Media Broadcastr Broadcastr is a developing social media platform that allows for location-based story recording and archiving. Essentially, it enables a user to record anecdotes, local lore, walking tours, reviews, and oral histories to a large location-specific database, which can then be accessed and enjoyed by anyone. The Croton Waterworks can benefit from this in a variety of ways, such as the recording of site-specific information based on a structure’s history, or of anecdotal stories for the system in general. Broadcastr’s webpage states, “Users can take