May 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 53

tion and ultimately get people
to spend more time outside. In
addition, the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department
sought to leverage many of the
following benefits:
* Internet access for underserved
communities
* Highly accurate traffic monitoring
* A digital portal for education
- visitors can download information about the park, such as
mobile apps
* Save money on printing - digital content, such as trail maps,
schedules and education materials, pose significant cost savings
* An operational tool to monitor
visitation patterns (e.g., schedule security, maintenance, staffing based on timing of peak visitation, etc.)
* Real-time visitation information to help with budgeting and
appropriations
* Ability to target messaging to
park visitors to encourage repeat visitation, promote park
usage/event attendance, etc.
* Potential to generate additional
revenue or support operating
costs through public/private
partnerships
Millions of Angelinos have
had the opportunity to use this
new service, which is very popular. An average of more than
20 percent of devices connect
to the system when in the WiFi hotspots for five minutes or
more. At one park with limited
cell coverage, the connection rate
is as high as 36 percent!
One of the Most
Requested Services
In Los Angeles, all equipment,
installation and ongoing main

tenance has been made possible
through a public/private partnership. Michael A. Shull, general
manager, Department of Recreation and Parks, was instrumental
in making this program come to
life. " It's been very rewarding to
collaborate with American Park
Network with support from Toyota to bring free Oh, Ranger! WiFi™ to park visitors, " says Shull.
" We look forward to expanding
Wi-Fi services throughout our
entire park system. Bringing connectivity to parks enhances community offerings and gives everyone an incentive to spend more
time outdoors. "
New York State has a similar
public Wi-Fi initiative, bringing
free connectivity to iconic spots
like Niagara Falls and Jones
Beach. State Park Commissioner Rose Harvey echoes Shull's
sentiment, adding that free WiFi is a way to appeal to younger
constituents, who often make
their choices based on their ability to connect. " Whether opting
to use Wi-Fi to share real-time
photos of friends and family or
to access apps and maps, having this technology is another
way to draw people in to spend
their precious leisure time at our
parks, " says Harvey.
" In Arizona, connectivity is
one of the most requested services, " says Sue Black, director of
Arizona State Parks. " The park
community needs to take a leadership role and set the standard for
the public. " Arizona is currently
working with concession partner
Aramark to install free public WiFi in popular destinations like
Kartchner Caverns and Patagonia
Lake State Park, with plans to ex-

pand the service throughout the
entire system.
Ultimately, the key for parks
isn't to have Wi-Fi everywhere, but
rather to offer visitors the option to
connect in well-defined, high-traffic
locations. That option can make all
the difference in getting people to
show up and share their experiences. In many respects, it's similar to
offering showers at campgrounds.
There was a time when a hot shower at a campground was a luxury.
Today, visitors consider it a necessity but would likely trade a hot
shower for a reliable internet connection any time.
Mark Saferstein is the Publisher and
Editor-in-Chief at American Park
Network (wifi@americanparknetwork.
com).

Rec Desk

RecDesk is cloud-based Recreation Management Software that
radically simplifies the way recreation organizations work with
and manage the information that
is important to them.
Our powerful set of easy-touse mobile and desktop tools are
specifically designed to meet the
needs of recreation departments,
community centers and similarly
focused nonprofits.
At RecDesk, we believe that software should pave the way - not get
in the way. This guiding philosophy
determines how we push the RecDesk platform forward every day.

RecDesk Software
300 Plaza Midlesex
Middletown, CT 06457
sales@recdesk.com
860.467.4325

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | 2 0 1 6 T E C H N O LO G Y G U I D E |

Parks & Recreation

May 2016 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2016 - Parks & Recreation