InterKnowlogy developers have built an online custom application for San Diego Zoo which greatly enhances the visitor experience. Our team of highly skilled software engineers, business analysts and dedicated project managers developed the application in just eight weeks!
Guests will map the route of their zoo visit on the San Diego Zoo’s public website based on exhibits of interest through a wizard driven Microsoft Silverlight application.Visitors will then be able to adjust the resulting route online by dragging alternative paths through the facility via a Silverlight based zoo map. Visitors can zoom in and explore the virtual zoo at a detail not possible before, viewing all major and minor exhibits regardless of size or location.
New exhibits or closures may be easily flagged by content owners using a Orcas VSTO based Word or InfoPath interface for managing and updating map data. Finalized routes are customized to include step-by-step animal guides based on the selected route with optional photos, zookeeper blogs and interesting “Dad Facts” (customized facts and trivia based on real data about the animals or exhibit). Trip planning is saved to the system with an account or ticket purchase for later use. Visitor data and reporting heuristics recommend exhibits missed or overlooked.
After the visitors tour is complete they can sit down with their group or family at a Microsoft Surface interface, log in again, and update all the discoveries on their route. Visitors will be able to review photo’s taken by park photographers, blog on animal visits and check for additional evening Zoo activities to extend their stay. Returning home the visitor can contribute to the Zoo’s online community where other visitors discuss and share about the animals they enjoyed. They may upload photos take at the exhibits to contribute to an online Zoo montage, blog, and plan future visits.
A Windows Vista sidebar gadget can be installed that allows the user an overview of their favorite zookeeper blogs as well as get easy access to streaming live Owl Cams of their selected exhibits.
It was said that 30-40% of the sightseer time spent at the Zoo site was "figuring out how to get around". 
Apart from route planning and Zoo information, the application also tracks visitor patterns and collects rich data which is of immense value to all departments at the Zoo.
The Zoological Society of San Diego (ZSSD) is a not-for-profit organization that operates the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, and the department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES). Each year, the San Diego Zoo welcomes nearly 6 million visitors to the Zoo and its companion property, the Wild Animal Park.
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