The Pyrénées-Orientales Coastal Trail is an iconic route, popular with hikers and walkers. To ensure sustainable management and justify public investments, the DDTM (Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea) has implemented an automated counting system using Kiomda devices.
This system provides precise visitor flow data, offering several key advantages:
✔ Justifying investments to both the general public and elected officials.
✔ Assessing erosion and the impact of foot traffic on trail conditions.
✔ Optimizing public grant applications with solid, quantifiable data.
"Automated visitor counting allows for an accurate estimation of trail usage, helping justify investments, assess pedestrian-induced degradation, and optimize public grant requests."
The collected figures are extracted from reports generated by the Kiomda platform and presented to local officials of the Community of Municipalities on an annual basis.
"The data is compiled into numerical reports and presented to elected officials once a year."
This regular monitoring enables the adjustment of maintenance and conservation strategies based on observed visitor levels.
While the data does not directly influence immediate decisions, it plays a critical role in securing public funding for coastal preservation.
"It’s not a decision-making tool in itself, but it’s beneficial for securing grants aimed at protecting the coastline."
By providing concrete statistics on trail usage, the DDTM can present stronger cases for funding applications and ensure maintenance efforts align with the real needs of hikers and local communities.
With the support of Kiomda counters, the DDTM of Pyrénées-Orientales now has a reliable and accurate tool for measuring trail attendance. This data helps justify investments, support funding requests, and contribute to the sustainable management and preservation of the coastal trail.
