**2. Method**

In this study, we selected eleven different industrial heritage sites, including both isolated constructions and large building complexes, located in the autonomous regions of Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha, Murcia Region, Basque Country, Castile-León, Catalonia, and Asturias. They represent some of the most heavily industrialized sites in Spain's history, which is why it matters so much to ascertain the current level of digital transformation of their management and promotion. In some cases, they are areas with a long-standing mining tradition and a strong initial environmental impact, with interesting constructions and tools of different types [25]. Spectacular landscapes that still bear the deep traces of an activity that lasted a very long time and has resulted in intensive regeneration [26]: Riotinto (Huelva), Almadén (Ciudad Real), La Unión (Murcia), and Samuño (Asturias). The Añana Salt Mines (Alava) are the last example of mining sites selected in the research project.

All other cases involve specific buildings and constructions from different productive sectors adapted to manufacturing techniques. Some date back to the pre-industrial era, like the San Blas Ironworks (León), the Royal Glass Factory in La Granja de San Ildefonso (Segovia), and the Royal Spanish Mint in the city of Segovia [27,28]. Others date back to the industrial era per se, such as the La Encartada Beret Factory in Balmaseda (Vizcaya), the water lift in Cornellà del Llobregat (Barcelona), and the Vapor Aymerich, Amat y Jover textile factory in Tarrasa (Barcelona) (Figure 1).

**Figure 1.** Location of buildings and areas analyzed: 1. Riotinto mining area; 2.Almadén mining area; 3. La Unión mining area; 4. Samuño mining area; 5. San Blas Ironworks; 6. Añana Salt Mines; 7. Royal Glass Factory; 8. Royal Spanish Mint; 9. La Encartada Beret Factory; 10. Water lift; 11. Vapor Aymerich, Amat y Jover textile factory. Source: José Fernández Álvarez (UNED SIG Laboratory).

From a methodological viewpoint, an extensive review of the scientific literature has been conducted to verify the different theoretical approaches present in the smart tourism field, the application of new digital technologies, and the proposed innovative resource management models. Also with regard to the method, one proposal put forward is to analyze them by using different variables present on their webpages, creating an index and conducting a survey.

Use of the web popularity index (WPI) is proposed to check and measure the variables regarding the content and information available on the webpages. The WPI, which ranges from 0 to 1, measures the percentage compliance of a broad range of selected variables that each industrial heritage site had in February 2019. The results are analyzed both in terms of constructions and sites and of variables; in other words, identifying the mean value obtained in each building and site for all variables and of each variable for all case studies.

The WPI is a very interesting tool in this investigation. It is considered a fundamental part of the study not previously used by other researchers. Obtaining the indicator is quick and simple, and the results are very direct and understandable from the point of view of the technological reality used in the case studies. The WPI quantifies different and highly significant qualitative aspects and is very useful in two ways: first of all, it is an efficient, straightforward, and simple way of approximating the information facilitated to visitors; and, secondly, it can be used to categorize the sites and buildings selected in terms of their level of application and display in digital environments.

A key part of the method has been the survey, carried out between the months of March and April 2019, among the technical managers and directors of the selected industrial heritage sites. The blocks and questions are listed in Table 1 below, and the levels of response were limited to three categories: agree, disagree, and no opinion. The survey, divided into five blocks and thirty different questions with one final open-ended question, has provided digital reality information about the management, sustainability, accessibility, connectivity, innovation, and use of ICTs.


**Table 1.** Blocks and questions in the model survey conducted.


**Table 1.** *Cont*.

Source: own elaboration.

#### **3. Results**

The internet is one of the biggest information access windows, and instantly provides knowledge to a large part of the world's population. This technology is essential for making industrial heritage more accessible and making the historic heritage of industrialization more visible.

Tourists have become more and more interested in ICTs over the latest decades and it is calculated that right now, around 45% of internet searches about tourism in Spain, similarly to all other developed countries, are related to cultural aspects.

Webpages are the main source of information that people look at when planning a trip, so a building or place stands to gain a lot in information and value terms if it has an attractive, well-designed website. The fact that industrial heritage appeals to a selective, minority kind of tourism reinforces the idea that it is essential to have a technological scenario appropriate to the digital tourist's needs and to "democratize" online knowledge of industrialization's heritage and the final success of new-use projects.

#### *3.1. Webpages and Digital Display of Content*

In order to analyze the webpages of the cases selected for the study, first, a total of 14 different variables regarding the digital information available to tourist were established. Those variables are (i) attractive design and well-structured content; (ii) presentation of interesting content; (iii) smart event calendar log; (iv) availability of weather information; (v) access to multilingual information; (vi) possibility of booking tickets online; (vii) online promotion of other representative tourist attractions; (viii) destination displayed with Google Maps™ and/or Street View; (ix) possibility of using mobile device applications; (x) integrated presence in social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.); (xi) possibility of giving opinions and ratings; (xii) availability of a virtual tour; (xiii) access to PDF

digital leaflets in or 3D models from photographs; and (xiv) access to multimedia tools (videos, audios, augmented reality, etc.).

The heritage site with the highest web popularity index (WPI) is the Almadén mining area (now the Almadén Mining Park) (Figure 2). The next buildings or areas, with a slightly lower WPI, are as follows: Vapor Aymerich, Amat y Jover textile factory (now the Catalonia National Museum of Science and Technology, MNACTEC), water lift (now the AGBAR Water Museum), Royal Glass Factory (now the Glass Technology Museum), Real Casa de la Moneta, Añana Salt Mines and San Blas Ironworks (now the Castile-León Iron & Steel and Mining Museum). Almost all the specified variables are present in this first level of selected buildings and areas, which can be regarded as spaces with a highly technological web presence. Their webpages offer a varied range of information and digital resources of different kinds, in line with the expectations generated as sites that are highly symbolic as far as industrial heritage is concerned. In all these cases, the web popularity index is equal to or higher than 0.78.

**Figure 2.** Almadén mining area. Author: Carlos J. Pardo Abad.

On a second level are all the other analyzed cases with lower scores than the first group, between 0.78 and 0.43, namely, the Riotinto, La Unión, and Samuño mining areas (all three of which have been turned into mining parks and receive a large number of visitors every year). The La Encartada Beret Factory ranks last among all the cases studied with a WPI of 0.43. According to these figures, each selected building and site ranks in different positions, depending on the level of technology applied on their webpages (Figure 3).

The general average of the complied variables is 70%, which represents a good level as a whole, but could be improved in certain aspects. The variable with the highest level of compliance refers to the presentation of interesting content (100%), followed by the attractive design and well-structured content (91%), smart event calendar log (91%), online promotion of other representative tourist attractions (91%), and integrated presence in social media (91%). The access to multilingual information, destination displayed with Google Maps™ and/or Street View, and access to PDF digital leaflets or photograph-based 3D model variables were complied with in 82% of cases.

In the other variables, the compliance percentages ranged from 73% to 1%. Weather information was only available in one of the selected cases, which is quite surprising as weather conditions affect the number of people visiting industrial heritage buildings and sites. Levels of presence are also low in the variables regarding the possibility of using mobile device apps (18%) and the availability of a virtual tour (36%). The possibility of expressing opinions and giving scores online is clearly above average (64%), while compliance with the other variables is around 70% (Table 2).

**Figure 3.** Web popularity index (WPI) of industrial heritage buildings or areas. Source: own elaboration.


**Table 2.** Overall level of compliance of the selected variables.

#### Source: own elaboration.

Multilingual information can be found at all the selected sites, except in the La Unión and Samuño mining areas. In the other case studies, information is always offered in Spanish and English and, more specifically and occasionally, in other languages. On the issue of this variable, it is striking that on the Riotinto area website (Figures 4–6)—corresponding to an area in the province of Huelva close to the Portuguese border and which attracts numerous visitors from the neighboring country—the information is not available in Portuguese.

**Figure 4.** Orthophoto and location of the Riotinto mining area. Source: José Fernández Álvarez (UNED SIG Laboratory).

**Figure 5.** 3D model of the Riotinto mining area [29]. This figure shows an axonometry, from the SE, of the open pit mines of Cerro Colorado and Corta Atalaya. In blue, the anticline bounded by the northern and southern faults. The zones of copper mineralization appear in green and the pyritic stockwork appear in red.

**Figure 6.** Riotinto mining area. Author: Carlos J. Pardo Abad.

#### *3.2. Survey and Inference of the Level of Technological Management*

The survey used was sent to the technical managers of the selected heritage sites and constructions, with several sets of questions on management, sustainability, accessibility, connectivity, innovation, and ICT usage. The level of response was 64%, meaning that the results are reliable. The survey was divided into five blocks, to which a final open-ended question was added. The first block (Block A) was of a general nature, and was entitled "General solutions and trends for creating a smart building or place". The next ones refer exclusively to the level of technological intelligence applied to each selected industrial heritage site: the second block (Block B) is on "management", the third (Block C) on "sustainability and accessibility", the fourth (Block D) on "connectivity and innovation", and the fifth (Block E) on "application of information and communication technologies". These blocks can be seen in Table 3.

**Table 3.** Summary of the levels of response by survey blocks.


Source: own elaboration. Note: highlighted fields have the highest response percentages.

Table 3 shows a general summary of the survey answers, with average percentages for all the questions contained in each block. There is a majority of "Agree" answers in all cases, especially Block A, with 83% as the highest score, and Blocks B and D, with 50% as the lowest scores. Therefore, it is these last two blocks that have the highest percentages of "Disagree" answers, with 40% and 48%, respectively.

Worth highlighting about the results of the first block of the survey (Block A) is that all the site managers agreed that the current technological scenario offers interesting opportunities for building a smart space. They also appreciate that technologies foster greater interaction with visitors.

There were bigger differences in the other questions of this block because 83% agreed that implementing technology is a means of renewing and reasserting the value of the site, as well as improving their management, while the remaining 17% disagreed. The same response percentages were obtained in the question as to whether economic cost is considered a decisive factor when applying technologies. In the last question of this first block, 50% of the respondents agreed with the idea that applying new technologies is complicated.

As explained earlier, the following four blocks of questions refer to the specific heritage building or area. On the management issue (Block B), 50% of respondents saw technological solutions and trends as a good option for managing industrial heritage, although a not too insignificant percentage, 40%, disagreed. The remaining 10% had no opinion.

Asked about whether technology already plays a fundamental role in management and promotion, 50% of the sample agreed and the other 50% disagreed. There were greater imbalances in the answers to the other questions. Around 83% agreed with the fact that using the new technologies affords greater efficiency and cuts costs. Around 66% considered that the industrial heritage building or area's members and workers are sensitized to and properly trained in new digital technologies, and 83% of respondents believed that local and regional entities do not cooperate enough in implementing technology, but did acknowledge the role played exclusively by municipal authorities.

The surveys show that 50% of the museums open in the industrial heritage building or sites already have a specific strategy for becoming a smart tourist destination. This positive situation is linked directly to the idea that the building or place is evolving favorably towards being considered a smart space in 66% of cases. In any case, it seems that all the measures devised to further promote these strategies in the short and medium term need to be increased.

The next block of the survey (Block C) has to do with two basic issues of great importance for the promotion of the preserved assets: sustainability and accessibility. It was found that 73% of the surveyed places already apply sustainable measures, such as energy and water saving, aesthetic conservation of the landscape, and maintenance of available heritage resources. Also worth noting are the site accessibility-related measures. Only 22% disagreed and the remaining 5% had no opinion.

In all cases, respondents considered that the industrial heritage building or site is already sustainable in relation to the landscape and available resources. This level of response represents full awareness regarding the aesthetic value of the environment in this type of heritage (especially notable in mining areas). The landscape and architectural or technical resources are always stimulating factors in the cultural promotion of the places and as spaces that are locallybased identity reference points.

The levels of responses about energy or water saving measures differed more. In most cases, they are already applied in lighting (86%) with the use of LED technology, and in 14% of cases, there are sensors for regulating lighting in terms of light conditions. Water saving measures are in place in 72% of cases.

Physical and digital accessibility is another important aspect in this block. According to 86% of respondents, the industrial heritage building or area is accessible to people with physical disabilities. As regards visual disability, only 57% of the sites have tactile models that can be interpreted by the blind or visually impaired; and when asked about digital accessibility, all the selected places said that they promote web access to all their information.

The next block of questions (Block D), penultimate of the whole survey, refers to connectivity and innovation. Broadly speaking, 50% of respondents considered that the level of application is not yet high enough, while 48% agreed and the remaining 2% had no opinion.

Internet connectivity is adequate at the destination in 86% of cases, but free Wi-Fi networks are only available at 28% of the sites. This result is especially striking because it is one of the technological measures that is easiest to apply. Similar figures (28% agree) were obtained when asked about the availability of a tourist app for smartphones (Figures 7 and 8).

**Figure 7.** Vapor Aymerich, Amat y Jover (MNACTEC). Author: Carlos J. Pardo Abad.

**Figure 8.** Several MNACTEC applications for smartphones. Left: *Cloudguide* App (virtual tour of the museum's objects and spaces); right: *Visitmuseum* App (audio guide of the Vapor Aymerich, Amat and Jover building). Source: MNACTEC.

The survey shows that those responsible for the destinations are aware that much remains to be done in terms of bringing in new technologies, despite the recognized advantages that these solutions afford in terms of more efficient and sustainable resource management. In 43% of cases, respondents considered that the sites are already innovative, but the very same percentage thought that they are not yet.

Around 57% of the sites have interpretive panels with QR codes and in 43% of cases, these codes are thought to already be included in some type of printed promotional material. These are still low percentages that should increase in the coming years out of necessity.

The last block of the survey (Block E) refers to the application of information and communication technologies. They are used in 61% of cases and, in addition, in 57% they are used both to know more about tourism demand and to improve the visitors' experience and manage existing resources more effectively. Broadly speaking, it can be said that ICTs are used more for promotion than for management, because 72% of technical managers agree on their validity for publicizing the values associated with the preserved elements of industrial heritage.

Table 4 summarizes the highest levels of acceptance by blocks and questions, and according to each industrial heritage building or area.


**Table 4.** Summary of the highest levels of acceptance per industrial heritage building or area, according to blocks and questions.

Source: own elaboration. Note: A1 (Block A, question one; B2–4 (Block B, questions 2 to 4), etc. NC: no answer.

The last survey question, as explained above, was open-ended. Only in one case has there been an answer, specifically from the managers of the Riotinto mining area. The answer indicated that right now, they are actively working on steadily implementing new digital technologies. Another significant item of information they added was that in just one year after implementing the electronic ticketing system, the percentage of visitors to the mining park has risen by 45%. This clearly points to the role that digital technologies can play in cultural resource management and promotion, in this case, in relation to the heritage linked to the industrialization and production techniques of times gone by.

#### **4. Discussion of Results and Conclusions**

This study created a model for analyzing the existing digital level in a series of industrial heritage buildings and areas, selected for their special significance in the conservation of built structures and industrialization landscapes, and for their current use as culture sites. This article represents a unique approach to a thematic area that is under-researched, perhaps because industrial heritage tourism is a very specific market and its ties to the latest innovation models are still undervalued.

The advances made in the digital ICT field have created previously unknown connections between visitors, visited spaces, and available resources. The interaction of these three aspects among themselves, and with the neighboring territory, is fostering a set of new-generation competitive capabilities that enhance the projected image of each place and consumer demand for these cultural goods.

Digital techniques are part of the more general methodological process of what is known as "territorial intelligence". This intelligence emphasizes geospatial databases, the creation of territorial observation laboratories, the characterization of all the players involved or the application of collaborative models between entities, managers, and visitors [3]. It is a global strategy that constitutes a kind of new approach in the most recent analysis of digitally innovative places, which involve several non-exclusively technological elements [23,30].

The most efficient and sustainable management models represent the transition from theory to practice, always necessary in an era of great technical opportunities and growing digital competitiveness. In industrial heritage buildings and areas, these models are particularly significant due to the very characteristics of the preserved assets and the profound environmental changes caused by decades of prolonged economic activity [26].Some geographical research is of great importance because it constitutes an empirical study on some specific case or subject related to new technologies in the field of industrial heritage [20]. This supposes a qualitative leap that surpasses reflections of a strictly theoretical nature and a relevant scientific contribution on the validity of new technologies in tourism management and promotion of industrial heritage.

The results achieved in this research—almost the first of its kind in the field of industrial heritage-related technological innovation—are evident and exceed any general and exclusively theoretical approach. The results in themselves represent an original perspective of the current context of technological change and an approximation to the human and technical efforts made in the museums and cultural centers installed in the material elements of industrialization. Another outstanding feature of the analysis is that it is easy to apply and operationally compared in other different environments.

The advantage of the selected places is that they became tourist attractions when the digital revolution started up, and so have always invested in technological solutions as a means to avoid being identified as a traditional destination. Many a difficulty has arisen applying innovations, sometimes due to a coordination between the different players involved, and others due to the strategic lack of cooperation networks between the different industrial heritage sites, the high front-end costs, and the technical complexity perceived in the early stages.

There are several parts to the analysis conducted during this research: first, a critical and reasoned review of existing scientific literature in this regard; and, next, the selection of the case studies, an in-depth examination of their webpages, and the completion of a survey by the technical managers and directors.

Digital intelligence is generally perceived as a good management reference and an excellent scenario for interacting with visitors. The levels of innovation found are not uniform, as occurs with other kinds of heritage, with their own features adapted to the surrounding territory and to the internal logic of each production process. This diversity inevitably delays any homogeneity in applying any digital innovation.

The webpages have been studied using a broad set of qualitative variables and producing a web popularity index (WPI) that simply and efficiently summarizes the information available in each place. The case study with the highest WPI is the Almadén mining area. The fact that its varied digital content is so carefully presented could have to do with it having been listed, since 2012, as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, due to its exceptional values associated with the mining and international mercury sales. The next most outstanding examples, in terms of general compliance with the variables, are the San Blas de Sabero Ironworks, Añana Salt Mines, Royal Segovia Mint, Royal Glass Factory of La Granja de San Ildefonso, Cornellà de Llobregat water lift, and Tarrasa Vapor Aymerich, Amat y Jover textile factory. All these case studies show above-average compliance of the variables established as an analysis reference. In the rest, the digital level drops and the information provided on the website is less complete.

The variable with the highest level of compliance refers to the presentation of interesting content, followed by the attractive design and well-structured content, smart event calendar log, online promotion of other representative tourist attractions, and integrated presence in social media.

The survey shows that the majority idea is that when applying technology, a decisive role is played by the economic cost, as well as the problems ensuing from its complexity. In any case, the majority opinion is that the selected places are evolving favorably towards being considered smart destinations (66%).

The lowest scoring of all the blocks into which the survey was divided is the connectivity and innovation block, followed by the management block. In contrast, the sustainability and accessibility block is quite favorably perceived, especially regarding conservation of the landscape and available resources, the application of energy and water saving measures, and physical and digital accessibility to information. Notably significant in terms of the application of ICTs is their use in promoting tourism, and less in terms of ascertaining demand, resource management, and improving visitors' personal experience. Compensating for this imbalance is essential to improving the levels of digital intelligence and efficient management in the medium term, as well as to forecast the emergence of new consumer models with sounder criteria.

Several main objectives must be achieved in the coming years to boost technological innovation and overcome current difficulties. An objective will be the best coordination between the different public administrations and local agents. Another objective will be the strategic creation of collaboration networks between the different places of industrial heritage. It will also be important to seek for funding to reduce high technological costs in the early stages of innovation, and specialized technical assistance that reduces the complexity of the implementation and development of new technologies. With these measures and other complementary ones, the digital tools will expand the cultural and tourist opportunities. The measures will facilitate the management of industrial heritage sites and will serve to disseminate the values of a legacy of enormous scientific and technical interest, with appropriate digital media for each resource.

The process of technological improvement is slow and continuous over time, that is, in a permanent phase of change to introduce the necessary advances for the most active interaction with the cultural user in the selected places of industrial heritage. In some analyzed museum, the active effort for the progressive application of new technologies is recognized. As an example, the implementation of the electronic sales system has increased the final visits and the percentage of sales with this technical means. They are very important and significant advances for the near future and for the general recognition of a legacy of great cultural importance.

The spaces studied are all local ones. This represents an advantage for achieving the innovation and efficiency goals because the new management methods and tools have a faster impact in smaller spaces due to their lower environmental and constructive complexity. Digital advances have been important, but there is still a need to keep on extending the use of new technologies and interconnecting all technical and human components for the same purpose. That is the only way to build a smart ecosystem capable of successfully promoting the image of industrial heritage as a resource for cultural consumption.

**Funding:** This research has been funded by the Research Challenges R&D&i Project entitled "Vulnerability, resilience and strategies for the reuse of heritage in deindustrialized spaces". Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, 2018 call. Reference: RTI2018-095014-B-I00. Lead Researcher: Paz Benito del Pozo, University of León.

**Acknowledgments:** I would like to express my thanks for the support offered by the technical managers of the places selected in the research, without which it would have been impossible to carry out the study. I am also grateful for the cooperation of José Fernández, at the UNED SIG Laboratory, for producing some of the figures included in the text.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
