CNMI = Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Saipan, Tinian & Rota Tour Apps
CLICK HERE TO PREVIEW THE SAIPAN TOUR APP FREE
THE SAIPAN TOUR APP! $1.00
• Over 125 sites & points of interest*
• Photos/text of current/missing waysides
• Additional facts, figures and trivia
• GPS locations (opens in Googlemaps)
• Hard-to-find bird & wildlife posters
• National Register of Historic Places sites
• Garapan Heritage Trail sites
• Geocaching&trade sites
• works in offline mode once downloaded
THE TINIAN TOUR APP- $1.00
• Over 60 sites & points of interest*
• Photos,text of current/missing waysides
• Additional facts, figures and trivia
• GPS locations (opens in Googlemaps)
• Hard-to-find bird & wildlife posters
• National Register of Historic Places sites
• Tourist & Motorist Rules of Conduct
• Usable while offline
THE ROTA TOUR APP-$1.00 (COMING SOON!)
• Over 60 sites & points of interest*
• Photos,text of current/missing waysides
• Additional facts, figures and trivia
• GPS locations (opens in Googlemaps)
• Hard-to-find bird & wildlife posters
• National Register of Historic Places sites
• Tourist & Motorist Rules of Conduct
• Usable while offline
“Hey Walt! I'm back in South Jersey, and I miss the warmth of the islands. I am excited for your latest project; the idea couldn't have occurred to a better person. If you don't mind my sharing, I imagine uses for your app beyond the obvious. As an island, "ex-pat" I hope to use it to bring my island experiences to life via the visuals and commentary your app provides. I'm going to share it with other ex-pats. When I taught English (essay-writing) at NMC, my students found it challenging to describe their island, beyond, "it has beautiful beaches." This app will broaden their scope.The younger generation could really benefit from this app. If I were to return to the CNMI I would make it mandatory for students to download and consult your app. Have you demonstrated it to NMC? The high schools? Just my two-cents! Anyway, I wish you continued success!”
— C.R., [former English instructor, Saipan-Tinian]
*CATEGORIES: Chamorro / Carolinian/ Pacific island culture, Spanish era, German era & Japanese era, WWII, Memorials, Nature and Saipan Now!
SCOPE: features waysides maintained and/or funded by The CNMI Historical Preservation Office (HPO), National Park Service (NPS), American Memorial Park (AMP), Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA), Mayor's Office and other agencies and organizations.
"Waysides" are the informational signs you often find near historic places, culturally-significant sites, monuments, memorials, nature/wildlife conservation areas and scenic spots. They tell an important story and preserve the history and culture of a destination for visitors as well as residents.
With the DiscoverSaipan, DiscoverTinian & DiscoverRota series of self-guided, GPS-aided tour apps, you'll own a permanent record of over 200 waysides, photos and sites! With it, you can: Play the Discover Saipan, Tinian and Rota game with friends and family Discover secret spots and trivia you never knew! Become the expert when you show your guests around the island! Share with and help lost tourists!
• Provide useful information at your fingertips
• Instill a sense of pride in these islands
• Save time (Quickly answer questions ("How deep IS the Marianas Trench???")
• Preserve hard-to-find bird & wildlife posters ("Was that a Kingfisher?!")
• Update the app with each new version!
• Save money! They're all FREE to residents during this initial launch and beta test! REQUIREMENTS: For the best experience, your phone should have
• a default browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) for Googlemaps
• email client (Gmail, Outlook,etc.) to send us feedback
Image to accompany press release:
SCOPE: features waysides maintained and/or funded by The CNMI Historical Preservation Office (HPO), National Park Service (NPS), American Memorial Park (AMP), Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA), Mayor's Office and other agencies and organizations.
Parents, teachers, visitors & tour guides!
What are "waysides???"
"Waysides" are the informational signs you often find near historic places, culturally-significant sites, monuments, memorials, nature/wildlife conservation areas and scenic spots. They tell an important story and preserve the history and culture of a destination for visitors as well as residents. With the DiscoverSaipan, DiscoverTinian & DiscoverRota series of self-guided, GPS-aided tour apps, you'll own a permanent record of over 200 waysides, photos and sites! With it, you can: Play the Discover Saipan, Tinian and Rota game with friends and family Discover secret spots and trivia you never knew! Become the expert when you show your guests around the island! Share with and help lost tourists!
• Provide useful information at your fingertips
• Instill a sense of pride in these islands
• Save time (Quickly answer questions ("How deep IS the Marianas Trench???")
• Preserve hard-to-find bird & wildlife posters ("Was that a Kingfisher?!")
• Update the app with each new version!
• Save money! They're all FREE to residents during this initial launch and beta test! REQUIREMENTS: For the best experience, your phone should have
• a default browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) for Googlemaps
• email client (Gmail, Outlook,etc.) to send us feedback
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NEW SELF-GUIDED, GPS-ASSISTED TOUR APP PRESERVES DAMAGED & MISSING WAYSIDE SIGNS IN CNMIImage to accompany press release:
[Photo: Jan 2020) Informational signs like Tinian's House of Taga Interpretive Center have been inaccessible since Typhoon Yutu. This and most every wayside (past and present) on each island have been transcribed (in English) and are available in the new DiscoverSaipan, DiscoverTinian & DiscoverRota Waysides Tour mobile phone apps, free for 1 week every 30 days!.
"Waysides" are the informational signs you often find near historic places, culturally-significant sites, monuments, memorials, nature/wildlife conservation areas and scenic spots. They tell an important story and preserve the history and culture of a destination for visitors as well as residents. Sometimes, however, those useful waysides fade, become damaged by exposure to the elements, vandalized or even stolen--and may not be replaced due to lack of funding and other reasons. As part of his "Waysides Tour Project," local Saipan author and internet entrepreneur, Walt F.J. Goodridge, has created a free mobile phone app that seeks to preserve the information on over 200 waysides throughout Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
"There've been times I've taken guests to popular spots here on Saipan and Tinian," Goodridge explains, "and I'll discover that a particular informational sign is no longer there. So, I created this resource to effectively restore and preserve damaged or unreadable signs or those that have been (or may soon be) destroyed by typhoons."
For example, the Taga House Interpretive Center with the story of King Taga was destroyed during Typhoon Yutu. However, using photos he'd taken over the years, Goodridge transcribed the full text, and has made it available in the app!
"It's not just for tourists," Goodridge adds. "Families here on island can download the free app, use it to go treasure hunting, and discover things about the islands they can be proud of and share with others (including lost tourists) in a fun, convenient way!"
The Saipan and Tinian apps are being launched in a beta test phase with a call for help for the Rota edition: "If you have any photos of signs on Rota and any island that no longer exist," Goodridge asks, "use the app to send me a message so I can include it."
The apps are available for Android phones in the GooglePlay Store, and an iPhone version will be released (Appstore) soon. Until then, iphone users can bookmark a web version.
COMBINED, THE THREE TOUR APPS FEATURE:
• Over 200 sites and points of interest on Saipan, Tinian & Rota
• Photos & text of existing, damaged and missing "waysides"
• Additional facts, figures and trivia
• GPS locations
• Hard-to-find bird & wildlife posters
• National Register of Historic Places sites
• Garapan Heritage Trail sites
• Tourist & Motorist Rules of Conduct
• Usable while offline
• Over 200 sites and points of interest on Saipan, Tinian & Rota
• Photos & text of existing, damaged and missing "waysides"
• Additional facts, figures and trivia
• GPS locations
• Hard-to-find bird & wildlife posters
• National Register of Historic Places sites
• Garapan Heritage Trail sites
• Tourist & Motorist Rules of Conduct
• Usable while offline
Find it on the Google app store or scan the QR code
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