There is a new playground for Singaporeans to head to for some fun and relaxation now that HortPark has been officially unveiled to the public. Officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on May 10, HortPark is Southeast Asia’s first one-stop gardening and lifestyle hub. It also serves as a park connector for Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park.
HP Singapore is playing a very big role in helping the National Parks Board (NParks) promote HortPark by developing an eLearning trail for upper primary and lower secondary students. Called HortPark Mediascape, this pilot project uses HP mScape 
technology to create a self-conducted virtual tour, which will allow visitors to learn more about the park and its flora.
However, this is unlike any normal guided tour. Students use the HP iPAQ 612 Business Navigator to get information on a particular attraction in the park when they arrive at the corresponding hotspot. There will be 26 hotspots spread around this 23-hectare park, but this is not all. Interactive quizzes and games have been developed to engage the students. These activities are based on an original fairytale—The Enchanted Flower Kingdom—created by HP Singapore. Featuring the five geomancy elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, this game will make learning about the park more fun and enriching for students.
Tan Yen Yen, Vice President & Managing Director of HP Singapore, and Yong Yiam Tong from TSG Education Services had the opportunity to demonstrate HortPark Mediascape to PM Lee when he stopped by the Herb & Spice Garden during his tour of HortPark.
Tan shared HP’s commitment to innovate for the environment. “With HortPark Mediascape, HP is tapping its creativity and technological expertise to interest and educate the young in nature and flora.”
Ng Lang, CEO of NParks, said: “Technology can add a new dimension to our mission to create memorable recreational experiences and lifestyles for Singaporeans. Our partnership with HP is an important step to giving park visitors personalized, interactive experiences using technology.”
The entire mediascape interactive experience in HortPark will take a maximum of 25 minutes for visitors to complete and up to three people can share one device. The public can rent the HP iPAQ 612 Business Navigators for free once a month if they join the guided walks conducted by NParks. However, visitors have to make advance bookings via the hotline or email.
HortPark Mediascape is not the first mediascape project HP Singapore has done. HP, IDA and Tao Nan School of Singapore collaborated on a mScape-based learning game trial in the Singapore Zoo last June. Presently, there are no public places in Singapore that are using a similar technology.
