SmartEcoPhone, between research and enterprise. Enhancing the natural and cultural heritage of Rome

Historical parks and gardens are important stepping-stones for the conservation of the cultural and natural heritage in cities, and deserve a careful management. This can also be achieved when receiving the support from citizens as well as tourists who have to be proactively involved, so as to increase the collective identity. The involvement, in turn, can be facilitated when the information on the cultural and natural heritage is easily and user-friendly accessible, and the communication with the responsible institutions straightforward. To this purpose, an application in English and Italian for smart phones and tablets (both iOS and Android systems) dedicated to the historical parks and gardens of Rome has been developed through a joint venture between public institutions and private enterprises, within the framework of a EU funded project. Through its geo-location system and an interactive discovery tool, the application allows the user to retrieve the information - for a total of over 400 entries with iconographical material - on historical monuments as well as to identify the components (flora and fauna) of the natural heritage. The application can be also used to report to the responsible institutions updated information on problems and the possible degradation of the site. The extension of this system at a national scale, and its potential use to improve the economic sustainability of the management of the historical parks and gardens, is also discussed.