May 2002

This scene has been played out countless times at waterparks around the country. But now, there is help to assist security personnel in the search.

Among the many new technologies in the waterpark and amusement park industry is a real-time tracking system that locates children and other guests. The system is simple to use and puts everyone — parents and facilities alike — more at ease.

Unlike conventional methods for reuniting family members, guest-tracking systems empower parents with immediate visual answers to their children’s whereabouts via kiosks with electronic maps of the park.
A sensitive issue
Let us provide some background. (First of all, there are never “lost kids,” only “lost parents”; children always wonder where their parents went.) The issue of kids getting lost has always been a sensitive one for parks and, for the most part, they have made concerted efforts to avoid the perception that this is a problem. However, since Sept. 11, parks have taken a much more practical approach to the issue and now seem to embrace ideas that may help them promote a friendlier, and even safer, environment than ever before.

Developers of guest-tracking technologies faced a number of challenges. First and most critical, the system needed to be able to track thousands of people simultaneously. Wrist tags with transmitters also had to be waterproof and small enough for little children to wear. Finally, the solution needed to be available to guests at an affordable price. Systems today can simultaneously track up to 10,000 guests with a watch-like wristband that can be easily worn by people of all ages.

How does it work?
While a system like this may sound quite elaborate, it’s actually rather easy to install. It operates on a standard Ethernet backbone. So, if a park already has an Ethernet backbone in place, minimal additional wiring or cabling is required. What’s more, real-time guest-location systems operate on normal PCs and servers, so equipment is not difficult to procure. Typical installations generally cost from $150,000 to $350,000 for a 12- to 20-acre waterpark.

The kiosk station is a compact 5 feet high and 30 inches wide. It’s a free-standing component to the system and can be easily placed in strategic locations throughout a park. Employing a user-friendly, interactive interface in multiple languages, these kiosks are simple for park guests to use and require no additional park personnel to manage or monitor.

The wristband-like tags also are easy for parks to rent, and even can be included as part of group or season passes.

Otherwise, guests can rent tags when entering a park, at a typical price of $2 or $3 each. A transmitter consistently communicates with special “readers” set up throughout the park, which communicate the real-time location of the tag to the system software. During the course of the day, anyone wearing a transmitter tag may locate another person in his or her party by scanning the tag at any tracking system kiosk situated throughout the park. An electronic map of the park will appear on a screen, showing the real-time position of each group member.

First launched last summer at Wild Rivers Waterpark in Irvine, Calif., tracking systems such as these have made quite a splash. Additional venues are scheduled to install a tracking system this summer, including Wet ’n Wild-Orlando and Wet ’n Wild-Nevada.