From free Wi-Fi to emergency help, IKE kiosks connect Valley residents to resources

PHOENIX – On Central Avenue near Arizona State University’s downtown Phoenix campus, hundreds of students file past a metal digital screen that towers over the average person.

On a Tuesday afternoon in October, most people take little notice of the kiosks beyond using them as shade from the desert sun.

As they stand in front of it, a slideshow cycles through a variety of information, from weather updates to nearby job opportunities.

These IKE kiosks – the acronym stands for Interactive Kiosk Experience – offer digital signs with a multitude of services and information at no cost for users.

IKE Smart City partners with cities across the country to install and operate the kiosks. Right now in Arizona, they are live in downtown Phoenix and Tempe. 

Downtown Tempe Authority, a private nonprofit organization that collaborates with the city of Tempe to increase the value of the Mill Avenue District, installed the first kiosk in 2020. The organization’s goal is to have 15 kiosks installed, according to President and CEO Lori Foster.

The first kiosk in Tempe was meant to replace static signs, which constantly needed to be changed whenever a business opened or closed, said Foster.

“We found that it was, yes, great for wayfinding. But especially now, it's even better as an equity tool because it has some other really great features that make it useful for people that are visiting or out on the street downtown,” she said. 

Information provided 

The kiosks offer information perfect for tourists who may just be walking down the street. They are able to find topics like nearby events, transit schedules, directions, even weather and air quality information.

For those out-of-towners not used to the hot weather, there are even maps to locations to get chilled drinking water. They also display information on places to stay like hotels and hostels as well as shopping for items ranging from clothing to electronics.  

After several hours of observation on different days over a few weeks at kiosks in downtown Phoenix between Roosevelt Street and Van Buren, no users interacted with the kiosks. 

However, the kiosks are meant to be resources for people experiencing homelessness or unemployment. They offer free Wi-Fi and information on nearby opportunities for employment. 

“Not everybody has a smartphone, and so to me, it's a great equity tool,” Foster said. “So we have access to 911. We have access to social services for populations that don't have access to smartphones. There's help on the street when they need it.” 

Social service information includes resources for those in need of housing divided into categories like family, LGBTQ+, women and men. 

Additionally there is information on addiction recovery services, food support, medical services and even pet welfare. 

“It's also extremely useful for emergency communication,” Foster said. “It does real-time storm warning postings, amber alerts, silver alerts, turquoise alerts. We can post information about road closures.”  

Foster said another helpful feature is the side button that allows a user to call 911. 

Besides the map, the most used feature on the kiosks is the photo booth. Users can take photos with the kiosks, use different frames or filters on it and send it directly to their phone. It also has an arcade feature where users can play games just as you would on your phone. 

According to IKE Smart City’s privacy policy, any images captured of the area surrounding the kiosk will not be kept longer than 15 days, unless the footage is needed to investigate an incident. The policy states it will not use facial recognition technology. 

Where can you find them? 

There are currently 14 operational kiosks spread across the downtown Tempe area. In the downtown Phoenix area, there are 18 live kiosks and two in construction.

How are they paid for? 

The kiosks are installed by IKE Smart City with no front-end expense for the city. When no one is using the kiosks they display advertising, which is sold by the IKE company. 

“For our help with figuring out the location, the logistics, we get a small rental fee, and it just varies depending on how much advertising they're selling,” Foster said. 

Foster added that DTA has the ability to decline any advertisement they deem inappropriate.  

In Phoenix, the city is guaranteed at least $14,000 annually per operational kiosk, which is paid monthly at $1,166.67, according to John Trierweiler, a public information officer with the city of Phoenix Street Transportation Department. 

There are opportunities for more revenue for the city based on advertising. 

While IKE sells mostly national advertising, they offer local businesses near kiosks the opportunity to be displayed. 

Foster said they will evaluate how the kiosks are used over the next couple of years. 

“They might have been state of the art and really cool in 2019, but as smartphones get better and better are people going to actually stop and touch some buttons on a screen, or are they just going to whip out their phone and use it for the same purpose?” Foster asked. 

This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.