Professor Giannis Deligiannis, from the Department of Audio and Visual Arts of the Ionian University, spoke to Status FM 107.7 about the “INDIANA” project, which is being implemented by the Department of Audio and Visual Arts of the Ionian University in collaboration with DOTSOFT S.A.

As he noted, the project falls within the framework of knowledge transfer from Universities to businesses, a process which, as he stressed, is carried out “with great pleasure, especially with DOTSOFT, as we have been collaborating for many years with company executives on various projects.”

Within the framework of the INDIANA project, an innovative platform was designed and developed for the dissemination of tourist and cultural points of interest. The platform is addressed to travellers and operates on a personalised level, making use of modern technologies and Artificial Intelligence applications.

The platform offers smart recommendation services, combining each user’s personalised profile with parameters such as location, mood, needs, and preferences at a specific point in time. It is addressed both to the end user — the traveller in a tourist area — and to professionals in the tourism and cultural sectors, supporting the design and delivery of personalised “on demand” services.

As Mr Deligiannis explained, the Artificial Intelligence system “discovers” and “translates” activities available in an area, doing all the “hard work” required to identify what is offered, for example, in Thessaloniki. To activate the Artificial Intelligence system, data from platforms such as TripAdvisor and Google Maps is used, with automated collection of reviews and business information, while dedicated taxonomies are created to capture the type of visitor, their interests, and their preferences.

A typical example, as he mentioned, is a visitor from abroad who is interested in dancing, parties, or live music, but is unaware of local cultural activities, such as traditional festivals. “The system connects this type of information with the user’s profile and recommends relevant activities that may be of interest to them,” he noted, highlighting the role of Artificial Intelligence in this process.

At the same time, depending on the user’s profile, the application can recommend monuments and museums, take into account their opening hours, plan visits based on the available time, and dynamically readjust the schedule if the user wishes to spend more time at a specific point of interest.

Listen here to the interview of Giannis Deligiannis, Professor at the Department of Audio and Visual Arts of the Ionian University, on Status FM 107.7: