Two years ago, the super yacht design agency Marcelo Penna Engineering of Barcelona became aware of a problem with the increasing size of the vessels – getting lost on board
This was highlighted when the interior designer of one of their yachts found herself lost inside a 154-m long yacht.
“As engineers and designers, we knew this was a problem we could solve,” said Marcelo Penna Engineering founder and director Marcelo Penna.
The aim of the Yacht Mapper mobile phone app is to provide safety and security, so it needed to work if there was a power failure on the yacht and the app could not rely on the internet or wifi, which may not be available in a blackout.
The solution was to create a Bluetooth network inside the yacht. Tiny battery-powered Bluetooth beacons are installed by Marcelo Penna Engineering throughout the super yacht as part of the Yacht Mapper App service. The Yacht Mapper app pings the Bluetooth network from the phone, giving the location of the mobile phone on a plan view of the super yacht on the screen.
Yacht Mapper goes further than a simple dot on a screen. In a blackout the captain can broadcast an alert via the mobile phone app, which will guide guests to muster points in the vessel.
As a security device, an iPod or similar can be given to day workers to guide them to work areas while restricting them from private quarters. The Captain can monitor their movements from his phone and alert security if needed.
Having developed an app to guide guests and crew to safety during a blackout on today’s cruise ship-sized super yachts, Marcelo Penna Engineering have scaled-up the app for the cruise industry and added marketing features
Internet connectivity is still a challenge on cruise ships, but a mobile phone app is an ideal solution for communicating with guests. Marcelo Penna Engineering has overcome the internet issue with a clever solution.
Using a network of battery-powered Bluetooth beacons installed throughout the ship, the Cruise Mapper app (Cruise Mapp) mobile phone app works independently of the ship’s power supply and internet.
When a guest arrives on board they download Cruise Mapp to their mobile phone. The phone connects to the Bluetooth network installed throughout the ship.
The app locates the phone on the Bluetooth network and can immediately check-in the guest and guide them to their cabin.
In an emergency the Captain can broadcast instructions to crew and guests over the app and instruct the app to provide individual real-time guidance to a safe muster station, giving cruise companies a way to demonstrate a high level of commitment to guest safety and security.
Once Cruise Mapp is downloaded onto the phone, each guest can set a schedule, book activities, receive special offers and book tables at the restaurants.
The safety and security features include:
Guest features include:
Direct marketing:
According to Marcelo Penna Engineering, the Cruise Mapp Bluetooth network collects big data on the guests’ movements on the ship. Potential developments include analysing waiting times and queue lengths at restaurants or sending the guest a pop-up offer as they walk past boutiques.
Installing the Bluetooth network and the cost of the app licence will pay for itself through the revenue gained from selling extra goods and services through Cruise Mapp.
• Marcelo Penna Engineering is primarily a super yacht design agency and is looking for director level support within a cruise company to realise Cruise App’s full commercial potential.
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