Abstract
The last point reached in today's technology revolutions is the fourth level industrial revolution. This revolution is called Industry 4.0. Many new generation technologies such as the internet of things, artificial intelligence, internet services, augmented reality, smart objects, and business sector branches have been included in human life. Industry 4.0 technologies have an effective use in many areas of our lives. The tourism sector, which is in constant interaction with people, is also affected by these technological developments. For this reason, businesses should perceive the internet of things well and need to introduce various applications to their businesses to provide the best service to their potential customers. In this chapter, after giving information about the internet of things, cultural heritage, digital transformation practices in the tourism sector, and smart tourists are discussed.
TopIntroduction
Human life is in a process of constant change and development in direct proportion to the time. Over time, some changes have a facilitating effect on human life. These changes are expressed as industrialization and are divided into revolutions. Industrialization is defined as “the process of replacing human power with machines” (Outman & Outman, 2003: 15). Today, as a result of the integration of the industrialization process with information and communication technologies, the Industry 4.0 revolution is mentioned. The Industry 4.0 revolution is also expressed as the ‘internet of things’ (IoT) (Karaman & Karaman, 2019). With Industry 4.0, the concept of 4.0 and smart concepts have emerged with the effect of digitalization in various sectors.
The concept of loT is defined as the transfer of data produced from any object to other systems with the help of a network (Rouse, 2016). IoT has caused a cultural change with the effect of connecting many machines, sensors, devices, activators, and other objects with each other and strengthening communication. A lot of data can be provided in short time via objects (Tosun & Saglık, 2019). With this change, many concepts defined as ‘smart’ have entered the literature and various sectors. In the tourism sector, which is in constant interaction with human life, concepts such as tourism 4.0, smart tourism, smart tourism applications, and the use of smart objects have emerged through the effects of digitalization and objects Along with these concepts, some applications in the tourism sector have started to be used actively in destinations and businesses thanks to loT.
While people benefit from the effect of digitalization and the ease of the internet of things, they also try to preserve the existing cultural textures of nations. Each nation has its own tangible and intangible cultural heritage items. These elements are protected by various institutions and organizations and their sustainability is supported. Nowadays, people in the globalizing world tend to experience local and locality rather than cosmopolitanism while participating in tourism activities. With the active use of the Internet in human life, tourists can get information about the destination and the business they will go to before participating in tourism activities and experience various applications during their visit. In addition, it contributes to the marketing activities of the enterprises by recommending destinations and businesses after the trip. Furthermore, people have the chance to experience many places with their sensorial properties (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) through the internet of things, virtual reality, and augmented reality applications. While these practices enable tourists to have new experiences, they also have a positive effect on the marketing of businesses. In this part of the book, the concepts of the internet of things and cultural heritage are examined in detail in sub-titles. In addition, current practices used in the field of cultural heritage at the international, destination, and business levels are included through the Internet of Things. The aforementioned titles have been examined for information purposes and represent the current situation.
Key Terms in this Chapter
RFID/Radio Frequency Identification System: An object carrying an RFID tag converts the data received via radio frequencies into digital information, transfers it to the computer system, and automatically performs operations such as tracking and identifying objects.
Virtual Reality (VR): Virtual reality technology is a device consisting of a head-mounted display and a glove called DataGlove. Thanks to the screen attached to the head, the user is provided with a 3D visualization, while the tactile feeling is provided through the glove.
Middleware: It is the software layer that provides communication and enables data management in order to simplify, develop and make more useful IoT technologies with complex infrastructure.
Augmented Reality (AR): A system that can present a live image of a physical real-world environment, augmented by computer-generated input such as information, video, audio, graphics or GPS data.
Wireless Sensor Networks: These are wireless networks consisting of thousands of sensor nodes that can wirelessly connect independent objects and exchange information.
IoT/The Internet of Things: IoT is defined as all the systems that can transfer data over the network without the need for human beings provided with information processing devices, mechanical objects, digital machines, or identifiers that are related to each other.
Cloud Computing: It is a model that allows access to a common pool of configurable computing resources, under appropriate conditions and on-demand, anytime and anywhere. In addition, it is an infrastructure system that enables the storage, processing and use of data by providing access to remote computers over the internet.