Eucharistic Congress launches iPhone & iPad App

The 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 (IEC2012) in Dublin has launched a free iPhone and iPad App, designed exclusively for Congress pilgrims by Dominican Friar Luuk Dominiek Jansen, in conjunction with IEC2012 staff.

The IEC2012 App gives pilgrims from all over the world the opportunity to experience the Congress through 21st century technology.

The App provides a comprehensive guide for pilgrims to the Congress programme including a pilgrim guide, a pastoral resources tool, and news and multimedia feeds.

Additional functions within the App include a daily guide for pilgrims about Congress events in the RDS; where the main Congress programme, youth programme, prayer space programme, children's programme and exhibitions take place. Information is also fed through the App about the host Churches programme that will run across 34 Dublin Churches and Statio Orbis, the final Mass in Croke Park.

A unique feature of this App is the 'My Planner' section, which allows pilgrims to organise their own personal schedule based around the Congress week programme. 'My Planner' creates an individual timetable for the pilgrim based around the workshops, talks, exhibitions and arena events that they are interested in attending.

The App also provides a map and GPS locations for each scheduled event on the Congress programme. Pilgrims will be able to locate where they want to go and how to get there.

Designer of the App, Br Luuk, a native of the Netherlands, explained: "The App is built to be very flexible. The information regarding the Congress changes all the time; new information becomes available and updates to the programme are made. Therefore, we needed an App that would automatically update itself when new or changed information becomes available in the lead up to the Congress."

The App has a complex synchronisation system build in, as a result when the Application is first downloaded, it connects directly to the host server and retrieves the most up to date information. This process creates and populates the App menus.

As changes to the App are made, a push notification is sent to the device notifying it to download the updates. The App searches for updates every time it is opened.

All of the information is stored in a database to ensure the App can be used offline, when no data network or wifi is available while travelling.

Pilgrims using the App will be kept well informed throughout the Congress with the flexible approach that this App adopts, providing the most up to date information at all times.

Additional functions of the App include the news and multimedia sections that inform pilgrims through Youtube videos, photos on Flickr, press releases and TV feeds in the lead up to and during the Congress

A tab with 'Pastoral Resources' contains the Congress prayer, an mp3 to play the Congress hymn Though We are Many, details about the IEC2012 logo, the patron saints and Congress Icons, theology and pastoral reflections on the theme of the Congress, and prayers and reflections around the Eucharist.

The pilgrim guide section of the App has details about onsite booking, ticket collection, and maps with GPS guides to the RDS venues, Croke Park, the host Churches, the seven City Churches pilgrimage and optional tourist attractions.

How to download the App

Login to the iTunes store, search for IEC2012 or click on the following link to download the free iPhone and iPad IEC2012 App: http://itunes.apple.com/app/iec-2012/id512917631?Is=1&mt=8


Read an interview with Brother Luuk Jansen here: www.iec2012.ie/media/ArticleaboutBrLuukDominiekJansen1.pdf