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QUEENS WEEKLY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019
Long Island City is booming, but its streets can be confusing. Now the LIC Partnership and several local tech startups have launched a cutting-edge wayfinding tool known as LIC Local.
Courtesy of Hunters Point Parks Conservancy
Long Island City Partnership launches online
wayfi nding tool to navigate the neighborhood
BY BILL PARRY
It is easy to get lost or
confused while navigating
the streets of the nation’s
fastest growing neighborhood,
but now the Long
Island City Partnership is
launching LIC Local, a new
free mobile site and smart
signage campaign that uses
QR-Code technology as a
wayfinding tool.
One hundred “smart
signs” designed by Entro
and fabricated by Boyce
Technologies, have been deployed
at strategic locations
throughout the neighborhood
which connect to the
wayfinding web app.
“Long Island City has
the best of the city, from
world class museums and
parks to Michelin star restaurants
and a diverse mix
of local businesses, and yet
these cherished spots are
also some of our best kept
secrets,” LIC Partnership
President Elizabeth Lusskin
said. “We are excited to help
put our shops, institutions
and events on one map with
LIC Local to make everything
our community has to
offer easier to find. Whether
someone is a longtime resident
or it’s their first time
here, there’s so much to do
— gallery openings, live music,
indoor rock climbing,
tennis, and many delicious
food and drink establishments
— and LIC Local will
make it easier and more fun
to experience.”
LIC Local pinpoints the
smart signage and all featured
locations using exact
geographic coordinates to
help pedestrians both orient
themselves, find local amenities
and events, and reach
their destination. The web
app was developed by LICP
in partnership with local
tech startup Citiesense and
design firm ThoughtMatter.
“Working with the Partnership
to launch this smart
sign pilot has been an exciting
exploration of our platform’s
capabilities,” Citiesense
CEO Starling Childs
said. “As we continue to test
out different approaches to
improving access to local
information with the LIC
business community, we
will be able to expand on
our platform’s features to
strengthen the value we are
already providing through
this unique tool kit for accessing
local communitybased
data.”
Using the camera on a
smartphone, one can scan
or code one of the LIC Local
signs around the neighborhood
and, based on the geotargeted
location, search for
events to check out, find a
specific business, or browse
the map of everything available
within walking distance
and learn where special
deals are available to
LIC perks members.
“Today, as we live more
and more of our daily lives
online, communities can
capture enormous value
by creating and designing
tools that encourage people
to search local,” Thought-
Matter Managing Director
Jessie McGuire said. “The
LIC Local project was a collaborative
effort from the
very beginning. From a
home page that provides you
with different entry points
to the map, to the color coding
of the different categories
you can filter through,
ThoughtMatter knew it
was important that the end
result was not only a useful
tool to help you explore the
neighborhood, but really to
connect you to everything
that makes Long Island City
Long Island City.”
Initial funding for the
project came from the city’s
Department of Small Business
Services as part of the
Neighborhood Innovation
Grant competition in 2017.
“LIC Local is a great
example of what happens
when the city brings together
technology and local
partners to make our
neighborhoods vibrant,”
SBS Commissioner Gregg
Bishop said. “With support
from SBS’s Neighborhood
Challenge award, the LIC
Partnership has built a
fantastic tool to boost small
businesses in the area, and
highlight all that Long Island
City has to offer.”
Additional funding came
from City Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer and Queens
Borough President Melinda
Katz.
“Long Island City is
home to a wide array of
restaurants, remarkable
stores, compelling events
and charming attractions,”
Katz said. “LIC Local will
employ cutting-edge technology
to make it easier for
residents and visitors alike
to find all the great things
Long Island City has to offer.
It was a privilege to help
fund the development of LIC
Local, which will make the
richness of Long Island City
more accessible to all.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.