Proposal of Improvements Based on New Technologies for the Satisfaction of Passengers on Board Passenger Ship Teodoro Vázquez Vázquez SAGEP Puerto de Sevilla Avda. de las Razas 5, 41012 Sevilla, Spain. tvazquez@sestise.com Candidato a Doctor. Programa Interuniversitario en Turismo. Universidad de Sevilla. Amalia Luque Sendra Dpto. Ingeniería del Diseño. Universidad de Sevilla C/Virgen de África 7, 41011 Sevilla, Spain. amalialuque@us.es Luis González-Abril Dpto. Economía Aplicada I. Universidad de Sevilla Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 1. 41018 Sevilla, Spain. luisgon@us.es Abstract Through physiognomic aspects, that the compilation of the In this paper is considered as the need for data from same are turned to databases and used to develop statistics passenger perceptions and valuations of passengers, together of characteristics and typology of the passage in real time, with the study of some different opinions of experts in the and that serves as an aid to the attention to the passage that sector of passenger transport by sea on board in different is on board. types of ships to develop global applications in real time that allow to offer services on board according to the habits This justifies that the development of applications on board of the passage. passenger ships, especially on cruises, is currently in full swing. With the difficulty of the connection is made through These applications should have two aspects: sensors-rdfi satellite signal, and in the constant search for cost reduction card readers and data mining and / or touch screens in and technical improvements in this concept. The big cruise staterooms, along with smartphone, with specific companies are those who have a proposal based on new applications when you enjoy excursions at the destination technologies in order to facilitate and satisfy the demands ports. and needs of passengers on board. For example, Royal Car- ibbean is the company that is most committed to technolog- It is concluded that evaluations-passenger satisfaction ical advancement, with several SMART proposals, aboard assessments, based on opinion polling on different services its ships. Other companies such as Costa Cruises, Carnival provided on passenger ships, should show us which are the and MSC Cruises, propose innovative ideas and projects most valued and least valued on-board services, which are based on new technologies in their ships, reducing the con- considered to be the most appropriate to propose formulas nectivity on board, proposing the socialization of the pas- and improvement measures. sage through social networks, as well as through large Alli- ances with powerful telecommunications companies to raise Keywords: Smart city, Passenger ship, New technologies innovations in communication and last generation with the sole purpose of satisfying the passenger on board. 1.Introduction This is already a reality on the way to improving on-board telecommunication costs and services, with products such as In today's society, the concepts of consumption, leisure and smart connect, (14) or formulas and improvement tools such satisfaction are directly related to tools or supports based on as those contemplated in this article or similar to those new technology through app applications for Smartphone, implemented on ships Of Royal Caribbeann, such as: or multimedia systems of management of attention to the Internet booths, with cabin privacy with special access passage. On board passenger ships it is proposed that equipment, costing $ 100 for 7 days on board. Another through photographic data of the passage and by means of formula they have implemented in this shipping line for the analysis of its behavior. internet access is through wireless wifi access, with six active zones on board each ship, with prepaid cards of $ 10 Copyright @by the paper’s authors. Copying permitted for private and academic purposes. In: Zoe Falomir, Juan A. Ortega (eds.): Proceedings of JARCA 2016, Almería, Spain, June 2016, published at http://ceur-ws.org per day. Finally, these ships have internet café, for access to provide guarantees in Real time of: security (tipping to emails and internet, costing $ 150 per 500 minutes. interpol, police, port authorities, etc.), scanning function (ISPS code) (international regulation a-ccess control after Another aspect for shipping companies, at present, is to 11S), microship system attached to billable baggage, boost the motivation and involvement of their crew on boarding card / Bracelet rdfi incorporated, listing of the board, for this, through new technologies the shipping com- passage with photographic reference. ... panies encourage and bet on improvements in communica- tion with the family (large motivator axis on board ). In this This multimedia identification and under a physiognomic sense, the company Royal Caribeann (14) chose to equip support not only provides safety, agile and efficient service 40,000 of its crew with tablets at the time of shipment. The to the passenger, but also the analysis of the behavior and objective was to facilitate communication with the outside the standard of the typology of the majority passage that by reducing communications and making leisure, as well as embarks on that cruise that facilitates the attention to the online training activities possible. This had a positive im- passage during its Stay on board, enhancing the personaliza- pact on the motivational and emotional axes of the passen- tion of the same, enabling: ger ship crew and generated a positive link and predisposi- tion when carrying out the work on board. Also in the com- a) Agile / fast embarkation of the passage. pany, MSC Cruises (10), the proposal in new technologies b) Identification of the passenger inside the boat. is based on the strategic alliance pact with Samsung in order c) Control of the safety of the passage. For exam- to equip the next generation MSC ship. It is to equip the last ple, determination of enabled zones according to profiles, nautical constructions planned for December 2017, of new identification of entrances and exits of the boat, etc. devices of last generation that includes: Totems screens high definition cabins, common areas and digital signage. Mobile With this initial identification data will develop real-time solutions, Smartphone, touch screens and accessories. Med- applications based on the habits and routines of passengers ical equipment, specialized technology for medical centers on board. For this and in a double aspect, the intrinsically on board, which provides up to video-medical consultations linked to the service on board and customized for the in case of emergencies. passenger based on techniques of sensors / readers and card / bracelets rdfi, next to data mining [Netz, 2015], that The objective of this paper is to propose a globalized and through kiosk Totem, in common areas of the ship or Tablet flexible automatic system that measures habits, routines, customized in the cabins, that will allow improvements for trends in the consumption of the passage when embarking the passage, the shipping company and the crew. on a ship. All this together with the possibility of interacting with the idea of smart city, when the vessel is in a This is intended to design a digital platform of services destination port, promotes and favors a high index of focused on passenger ships with the purpose of creating a satisfaction of the expectations and emotions of the new format of travel tailored to the user, offering a range of passenger with the final choice, when traveling on board of possibilities additional to those already existing and with a a passenger ship. friendly and clear management when possible. This way of conceiving travel is based on the consideration of treating From this data they are developed applications in real time each user as the center of the service offer. The approach that allow to offer services on board, customized according adopted will be possible thanks to the use of techniques to the habits of the passage. These applications have two within the scope of augmented reality. aspects: sensors-rdfi card readers and data mining and / or touch screens in cabins, along with smartphone, with The services provided can be considered from two different specific applications when you enjoy excursions in the ports perspectives. On the one hand, it contemplates the point of of call. view of the shipping company, in charge of managing the passenger ship; And on the other that of the user, the The rest of the article is structured as follows: in section 2 passenger. In this sense, it is possible to define two levels of a proposal is made to follow the passage. Section 3 provision of well differentiated services. Below are some of discusses the technological proposal. It concludes with a these services, subject to the possible approaches presented. section of conclusions about the work. 2.1. Improvements to the ticket 2. Proposal for Tracking of the passage In reference to the passage the following improvements are Starting from the concept of traceability, at the moment in intended: which the passenger chooses and is prepared to make a trip aboard a passenger ship, he will have a support that through 1. Adaptation of the cruise according to the profile of each photography with a smart physonomy application, will passenger. of loyalty. Motivation linked in families connection through SKY system. 2. Restoration according to tastes and pathology (allergies, 2. Application that analyses the fluctuation of the diabetes etc). passage on board, in order to optimize the service on board 3. Particularization of different environments in the cruise and provide it with the necessary personnel. More personal (accommodation lights, climate, blinds, ambient music, to the services most demanded. Organization and manage- etc.). ment of human resources. 4. Personalization of activities and leisure. Management of 3. On-board location system: Especially interesting leisure offers on board (reservations, shopping on board, at the time of emergency management and control. gym, spa, etc). 4. Direct application of on-board service manage- 5. Electronic payment through identification bracelet. Real- ment. Analysis of timescales and demand for services. time on-board expenditure control. 5. On-line training platform for the crew for con- 6. Personalization according to consumption profiles (VIP, tinuous improvement in attention to the passage. business, economic, family, students, etc). 6. Statistical studies of on-board services. 7. On-board localization system and interaction with the 7. Collection and recording of data to make deci- services and activities provided on board. sions in the on-board Service Department [Crivat, 2006]. 8. System of LCD screens, in interior cabins that make the 8. Stock Control. stay more pleasant with rotating landscapes. 9. Chat capability and intercommunication with other 2.3 Disadvantages of the proposed system passengers on the same vessel, enhancing connectivity. 10. Application for blind passengers with reduced mobility. In accordance with the three basic principles of the passen- 11. Cicerone port Deneb, application for a flexible choice by ger service software application, the proposed system needs the passenger of excursions and visits in ports of to be user friendly, designed to accommodate state-of-the- destination. This application will be endowed with art passenger care and clearly and consistently focused on institutional information and hospitality, leisure, cultural delivering the type of service required by the quality stand- activities and interactive guide of the port of call, with ards established by a given shipping company. option of offers and discounts that enhance the free choice of the passenger, along with responsible consumption. It is conceived as a highly flexible, high capacity data cap- ture system. Although it incorporates a highly intuitive in- terface for ease of use by passengers of all types, older peo- ple who are not so well versed in new technology may have some difficulty using the proposed platform. Additionally, in view of the countless variables and poten- tial improvements for both passengers and crew, the cost of the application may seem high. It should, however, be taken into account that while in the world of sea travel, costs and prices may be high in terms of the initial outlay, solutions are financially viable as the investment is rapidly recovered, thanks to their use in tourism and as a result of the improved efficiency of on-board services and increased on-board con- sumption by passengers. To give an idea of the figures involved, for a medium-sized ship with a length of 216, beam of 29 m, 8 decks with on- Picture nº 1: The proposed platform Smart Ship Deneb board services for 1800 passengers and 600 crew members and 622 cabins, the price of the proposed solution with fea- tures such as RFID, digital kiosks, RFID signage and Ether- 2.2. Improvements for the shipping company and the net cabling amounts to 5% of the cost of building a new crew. ship, which would be in the region of EUR 980 million. In reference to the shipping company and the crew, the Financial viability and payback are analysed from the dual following improvements are intended: perspective of intangible concepts, such as passenger satis- faction and on-board service efficiency on the one hand, and 1. Social Proposal: Through Tablet motivate the tangible concepts, such as reduced waiting times for passen- crew in an excellent attention to the passage, as a guarantee ger service and care, lower staffing (crew) costs and im- Speed), the ideal situation is determined for the passenger proved on-board tracking and security on the other. and the crew member, towards which the services provided should always be provided on board a Passenger Ship. 3 Analysis of the contribution The resulting data are confronted with the opinions polled by experts on different passenger ships and in related sectors 3.1 Previous study such as Hotel Resorts. This paper presents a SMART SHIP DENEB work The opinion of experts surveyed ratifies and reinforces platform as a flexible and global application, providing agile that, in the case of valuations or negative service and efficient solutions. The data obtained from the same experiences in the study, the proposed proposal is a useful together with the expert opinion leads us to propose a tool to tool for the Services sector on board passenger ships. minimize and improve the fields that in services on board are worse valued by the passage that embarks in different After a detailed analysis of passengers' perceptions and types of passenger ships. valuations, and with the study of some different opinions of experts in the sector of passenger transport by sea on It is therefore a matter of adequately integrating digital different types of ships, show us that due to deficiencies and media into the ship with a passenger-centric communication inadequate situations, for the passenger in terms of service, strategy; Global and local communication at the same time. it would be the ability to establish and implement a system The variety of supports and digital and interactive formats based on new technologies, and where, according to the provides adequate functions to each room on board. In this experts surveyed, the different cases and situations that to way, SMART SHIP DENEB allows us to communicate our our passengers, are deficient or have not met the expected own services and promotions in different areas, such as the expectations before starting a trip on board. reception, cafeteria, restaurant, gym, etc., such as being guided and advised when visiting a port in our trip. At the 3.2 Technological contribution same time the capacity of a free choice of those services that demand or like. Likewise, this system proposes The technological contribution that the objective of the improvements in motivating and on-board involvement for prese raises is the design of a digital platform of services crew members of passenger ships. focused on passenger ships with the purpose of creating a new format of trip adapted to the user, (internal-crew, Logically an analysis of data obtained from people has a external-passenger) offering a range of Possibilities prior consideration of the subjectivity of the concepts of additional to those already existing and with a friendly and, valuation and analysis in terms of perceptions of the as far as possible, clean management. This way of globality of the passage probed, subject to infinity of conceiving travel is based on the consideration of treating casuistry, eventualities, personal nuances ... etc, more if it is each user as the center of the offer of services of a shipping possible to evaluate or evaluate concepts of service on board company for its internal and external clients. The approach in a medium unknown for most as it is a vessel. adopted will be possible thanks to the use of techniques within the scope of augmented reality. An in-depth analysis of passenger ratings and opinions on different passenger ships, through a comprehensive field The provision of the reported services must be carried out study on different types of passenger ships, through according to the establishment of an advanced technological questionnaires, interviews and bibliography, will lead us to infrastructure that allows complex computational operations obtain the services and issues on board more valued and in real time. those of less valuation, being considered these the most suitable ones when it comes to proposing formulas and The main characteristics considered in the proposed system measures of improvement that we propose. revolve around the concept of ship, assuming that the services provided will be autonomous from the point of These valuations in passenger satisfaction, based on view that the ship will not depend on other higher opinion polling on different services provided on passenger infrastructures (satellite communications, etc.). This ships, will be achieved, broken down into this group by type consideration is motivated by the fact that the ship may be of vessel, routes, duration, etc. All valuations will be large intervals of time without connectivity with terrestrial checked for services on board dispensed and valued by the infrastructures of data communications with wide passenger, elaborating different valuation reports for bandwidth and, not necessarily, there will be extraordinary services, shipping, circuit, ... .etc. mechanisms of communications (satellites), with a cost reduction in the before mentioned services, as currently Based on the experimental data obtained for each type of contemplated. passenger ship (cruise, river cruiser, ROPAX and High It will be assumed that internal crew members as external minimizing the emotional deficiencies that are generated in passengers have a unique profile, identified with their long shipping periods. personal card, so it will be necessary to adapt each service provided to that profile. This consideration will range from segregation by age (infants, children, adults, elderly, etc.) and sex, to economic typologies (tariffs, economic, business, etc.), through typologies associated with nationalities, , etc.. The identification will be made by various mechanisms, depending on the service and needs that will be provided and improved. Thus, access to enabled areas (cabins, wings, reserved spaces, etc.) will be done by radio frequency identification (11) (Near Field Communication, NFC). This Picture nº 2: Coberture on board identification requires carrying a unique emblem implemented as a bracelet. These devices execute passive This practice can be framed within the scope of the tag role (it does not have autonomous feed element) so they techniques of gamification, widely used in the optimization require another active element with the role of reader to of the efficiency of the systems in which human beings perform the identification. The distance between the two participate. devices should not exceed 20 centimeters, so it is necessary for the passenger to wipe the wrist near the reader, creating In addition to the use of cameras and NFC wristbands, the a gesture of use. use of high-level intelligent interfaces such as touch screens integrated in the boat or portable / smart devices In addition to this identification work, the device may (smartphones, tablets) is proposed, in order to widen the contain additional functions associated with the context in scope of interlocution between the System and the user. In which it is located. For example, body temperature, ambient this way the user is enabled to access to the system through temperature, humidity, heart rate, etc. Its use extends to the applications tailored to his profile. Internet of Things (IoT), in which all the elements that are wanted can be interconnected and exchanging information The choice of these interfaces, widely used in a domestic relevant for the interpretation of complex situations and in environment, will provide an exceptional channel for the the framework of a Community use (eg fire safety and generation of orders or for the valuation of services and shipwrecks), improving the location of the crew and working conditions on board. In this sense, these devices passengers. allow another way of integrating the crew member into the gamification mechanisms used to improve the passenger Another type of identification can be made without the experience. generation of this gesture, being the user not aware that the identification is being made. For this purpose, the use of All proposed interfaces will be connected to the system fixed cameras installed in the boat is proposed as a use through Wi-Fi access points present in the entire area that technology for the purpose of performing a facial can be accessed by passengers and crew. identification. These techniques require a real-time local processing of facial features that can not only be used to With the information gathered through the technology identify the user but also to interpret their mood (smile, discussed and with the data relating to each crew member frown, closed eyes, open mouth, etc.). With this it is (affective needs, communication families, leisure and fun, possible, for example, to determine if a work and etc.) and habits and routines of consumption on board coexistence environment is adequate or not. passengers, it will be possible to perform a detailed analysis to constitute with a tool of aid and improvement in the day Facial interpretation endows the system with not only an to day on board. That is, the system can take a proactive role instant identification data. In addition, it is a source of to the user, instead of being reactive to their requests, historical data analysis that is important for conductal and suggesting proposals and getting ahead of their activity. behavioral studies. From a control system point of view, it can be identified that this information constitutes a feedback This approach becomes feasible thanks to the use of data of the system. This reaction information of the internal crew mining techniques in systems where a large volume of member or passenger is of great value if the goal is to information (Big Data) is correlated. The system proposed improve the user experience on board a passenger ship. It is will have a powerful computer system but perfectly therefore useful when taking decisions about comfort and adaptable to the environment (boat), being a center of satisfaction of the user, and to boost motivation and reception of the information captured by the various systems of interaction with the passage (bracelets, smartphones, [16] www.infocruceros.com/.../1311337-como-viven-los- tablets, cameras, etc.) tripulantes-en-los-barcos-es-todo...Fecha acceso Febre- ro 2016 [17] https://abordodelmundo.wordpress.com/tag/vida-de- Conclusions tripulante/ Acceso: abril 2016 [18] http://www.viajesycosasasi.com/ventajas-desventajas- The main conclusion is that the improvement of the trabajar-en-un-crucero/, acceso :febrero2016 passenger's stay, using SMART SHIP DENEB as a working [19] http://www.wanderingearl.com/travel-resources/work- platform, provides agile and efficient solutions for the on- on-cruise-ships, acceso enero 2016 board passage and in its capacity of choice, which can be [20] London I (2007) Resort hotelero, Crecimiento de vérti- quantified in terms of its fidelity as possible customer of go, en Gestión Hoteles nº 73 Julio-Septiembre; edita new cruises. Reed Business Information This proposed global system is of great interest in Agradecimientos a: improving the communication with the crew; It becomes an Prof. Dr. Carlos León de Mora; Director del Grupo de Investigación interesting training tool, optimizing the HR on board, Tic150;Catedrático de Tecnología Electrónica;Director de la Cátedra allowing the shipping companies to transmit messages and Telefónica Universidad de Sevilla Inteligencia en la Red strategies to improve passenger satisfaction and the Dr. Julio Barbancho Concejero; Subdirector del Secretariado de Tecnolo- everyday life of crew on board passenger ships. gías de la Información Vicerrectorado de Desarrollo Digital y de Evalua- ción. Universidad de Sevilla ! Bibliography [1] archivo.expansionyempleo.com › Desarrollo de Carrera acceso : enero 2016 [2] [Carnival] http://www.carnival.com/ [3] [Costa Cruceros] http://www.costacrociere.it/ [4] [Crivat, 2006] Crivat, B.: SQL Server Data Mining Pro- grammability. Fecha de Acceso: Dic 12, 2006. [5] El barco mercante como Institución Total. Rodriguez- Martos i Dauer Barcelona Junio 1995. [6] [Leminen, 2012] LEMINEN, Seppo, Mika WESTER- LUND Y Anna-Greta NYSTRöM (2012): "Living labs as open-innovation networks", en Technology Innova- tion Management Review, September 2012. [7] Lealtad actitudinal, calidad percibida y satisfacción en el turismo de cruceros; Lucia Labrador. Madrid 2012. [8] El buque como una vivienda. Aproximación metodológi- ca. José Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez Centro de For- mación Marítima de Huelva. Año 2014 [9] Lost at Sea and Lost at Home: The Predicamnet of Sea- faring Families Universidad de Cardiff (CRIS) año 2000-2001 [10] [MSC] http://www.msccruises.co.uk/ [11] [Netz, 2015] Netz, A.; SQL Server 2000: Data Mining Helps Customers Make Better Business Decisions. In- terviewed Netz, Amir; Microsoft SQL Server Develo- pment Manager. [12] Optimización de la carga de trabajo a bordo de un bu- que mercante Joan Boned año 2010 Barcelona. [13] http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2000/04- 24sql.mspx. Fecha de Acceso: Dic 15, 2015. [14] [Royal Caribbean] http://www.royalcaribbean.com/ [15] www.naucher.com/es/actualidad/los-sueldos-de-la- gente-de-mar-en.../_n:1070/ Fecha acceso :enero 2016