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Guru’s new botanic garden mobile tour features AR and VR experiences

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father and son use guru mobile app at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Leading developer of mobile visitor experiences, Guru, has created a brand new mobile tour for California’s Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG).

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Mobile Tour interactive mapFeaturing AR and VR, the app has been designed to ensure that visitors get the most from their visit to the largest botanic garden dedicated to California’s native flora.

Describing itself as a living museum, the 86-acre estate is home to curated collections of more than 22,000 of the state’s native plants, some of which are rare or endangered.

The Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Mobile Tour includes interactive maps and hours of educational audio and video designed to add a new dimension to the visitor experience.

With the GPS-enabled wayfinding features, the mobile tour helps visitors explore without getting lost.

It also features in-depth information pages that allow users to learn about individual plant species in more detail. Visitors are also encouraged to discover more about conservation and check out Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden’s native nursery.

App includes an AR rattlesnake and butterfly migration experience

Transportive experiences in VR Lite enable users to ‘visit’ some of the plants’ natural habitats. With a single tap they can check out Torrey Pines State Reserve or get a behind-the-scenes look at RSABG’s herbarium and seedbank.

Guests can also enjoy multiple Augmented Reality experiences including an AR rattlesnake and a butterfly migration experience. There are plenty of engaging themed tours, too, such as Flavours of California, as well as audio and video overviews like The Owl’s Kitchen.

At the same time, the Garden gains valuable insights into visitor behaviour via data analytics including heat maps, traffic patterns and most popular content.

Mobile tours are becoming increasingly popular with attractions and visitors alike, helping them form a deeper connection and encouraging repeat visits. Guru’s use of AR and VR adds a further dimension, bringing collections to life and creating a more in-depth and memorable visitor experience.

Main image courtesy Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

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Charles Read

Charles is managing director at blooloop. He attends numerous trade shows around the world and frequently speaks about trends and social media for the attractions industry at conferences. Outside of blooloop, his passions are diving, trees and cricket.

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