Amid the mountain ranges of south-western Anhui lies Tianzhushan, known by geologists as a “textbook of continental dynamics”. It is both a UNESCO Global Geopark and a National AAAAA Tourist Attraction. Its northern section boasts magnificent granite peak forests and spectacular landforms formed by rock collapse and accumulation. At its southern foot runs the Dabieshan Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphic Belt, recording the billion-year-old epic of continental plate collision, subduction and exhumation. In its piedmont basin lie fossils of dozens of prehistoric species, earning it renown as “one of the birthplaces of Asian mammals”. Endowed with such profound natural and geological heritage, how should this mountain be conserved, interpreted and made accessible to visitors? In the past, protection and management relied on rangers on foot, public-address announcements and paper tickets. Today, big data is reshaping the answers.

Ⅰ. A “Smart Network” Stretches Deep Into the Mountain

To enable smooth flows of people, goods and information, robust signal coverage across the mountain is essential. Qianshan City has leveraged its regional tourism big-data center to iteratively upgrade three key projects: Smart Tianzhushan, regional scenic-area monitoring, and Travel Qianshan in One App.

Construction of the comprehensive Smart Tianzhushan platform began in 2006 in phases, with a total investment of 35 million RMB. A 110-kilometer optical-fiber network (7.5 million RMB specifically for fiber-optic deployment) has been laid across rugged mountain terrain. Gigabit dedicated lines from three major telecom operators have been deployed to build an integrated communication network covering park entrances, visitor centers, major scenic spots, core hiking trails, cable-car stations and transfer hubs. Free Wi-Fi is available in high-visitor-density zones, maintaining stable and high-speed connectivity even during peak tourist seasons.

Centered on a data center and a monitoring-and-command hub, the platform features three major systems: smart services, smart management and safety assurance. It integrates modules including smart access control, video surveillance, information release, new-media operation and AI interaction. Regional scenic-area monitoring is connected to the supervision platform of Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, breaking down data silos and laying solid hardware and software foundations for the digital transformation of Tianzhushan UNESCO Global Geopark.

Ⅱ. Explore Qianshan With One Mobile Phone

For tourists, the biggest change comes from Travel Qianshan in One App. Previously, visitors had to queue for tickets and ask for directions on-site. Today, multilingual official websites, WeChat mini‑programs and a full-range Douyin new-media matrix deliver services online. Through a single mini-program entry, visitors can complete reservation and ticket purchase, access guided tours and submit complaints, delivering “all-in-one services via one portal”.

Once inside the geopark, visitors can use touch-screen terminals at visitor centers or their mobile phones for self-service tours, including scenic-spot navigation, audio commentary, route planning, cultural-and-creative-product shopping and car-park location search. A special senior-friendly mode offers enlarged fonts and simplified operations for elderly visitors. An AI digital human, drawing on a geotourism knowledge base, answers visitor questions. Tianzhushan Geopark Museum features 720-degree VR panoramas and AR navigation, presenting immersive science popularization experiences that interpret granite evolution and ancient Wan culture. Data generated from visitor visits, inquiries and complaints serves as a continuous feedback reference for geopark improvement.

Ⅲ. The Invisible “Safety Officers”

Mountain-type parks commonly face challenges: vast territories, scattered monitoring points, heavy geoheritage conservation tasks and complex emergency‑response scenarios. The big-data center fuses data from access-control ticketing, video surveillance, environmental sensing, passenger‑flow statistics and geological monitoring to form a comprehensive safety network. High-definition cameras keep real-time watch over entrances, parking lots, visitor centers, hiking trails, viewing platforms, commercial zones and cliff-edge sections.

Smart electronic access gates support multiple verification methods including QR codes, ID cards, IC cards, handheld ticket-check devices and dedicated mobile applications. Combined with surveillance data, they generate passenger‑flow heatmaps for different zones to predict visitor-volume peaks in advance. During holidays, the geopark deploys security and rescue resources proactively based on visitor profiles. When passenger-flow thresholds are exceeded, the system triggers automatic alerts. The command-and-dispatch center immediately allocates staff and transport capacity to enforce the principles of “visitor-volume limits, advance reservations and staggered visits”.

Moreover, this network safeguards geological heritage. Fossil sites and habitats of rare flora and fauna are logged into a geographic‑information system. Combined with video surveillance and regular drone patrols, this transforms geoheritage management from traditional manpower‑intensive patrols into a digital conservation model featuring pre-event early warning and on‑site intervention.

Ⅳ. Data-Driven Management

Big data reveals not only visitor movements but also underlying operational patterns. Real-time park conditions, passenger-flow statistics, equipment maintenance and online public opinion are visualized on large display screens. Administrators can access ticketing records, real-time visitor volumes, equipment status and risk alerts to grasp the full operational picture of the geopark.

Visitor profiles help managers understand visitor origins, age demographics and travel preferences. Such insights inform study-tour product development, promotional campaigns and passenger-flow guidance. Based on popularity metrics for individual scenic spots, human resources for conservation, rescue and visitor services are allocated rationally, striking a balance between heritage protection and tourism development. The platform automatically collects visitor reviews from major online travel platforms, establishing a closed-loop “collection-and-resolution” mechanism: every visitor comment drives tangible operational improvements.

Ⅴ. Bringing Tianzhushan to the World

Effective promotion relies not only on compelling storytelling but also on identifying target audiences. The geopark operates a digital marketing mechanism covering official websites, WeChat mini-programs, official accounts and Douyin. It regularly releases live streams and short-video content and collaborates with social-media influencers for promotion. Comprehensive geopark information is updated on online travel platforms and digital navigation maps to expand outreach.

Drawing on big‑data analysis of visitor consumption behavior, targeted marketing campaigns are launched for key source markets such as the Yangtze River Delta and Wuhan Metropolitan Area. AI large-models are adopted to generate high-quality promotional copy and travel guides. Exposure metrics, visit volumes and order conversion rates across all channels are intelligently monitored. A feedback and performance-evaluation system forms a complete closed-loop workflow: “launch-monitor-evaluate-optimize”, steadily enhancing the brand influence of Tianzhushan UNESCO Global Geopark.

Ⅵ. Experience and Insights

Over the years, Tianzhushan UNESCO Global Geopark has leveraged big data to integrate digital infrastructure, visitor services, geopark governance and marketing. Complying strictly with AAAAA tourist attraction smart-tourism standards, it has achieved better-quality services, higher management efficiency and upgraded marketing performance, while advancing both geoheritage conservation and tourism development. Its replicable experiences can be summarized as follows:

Build solid foundational infrastructure first: Tangible investments such as fiber-optic networks, surveillance systems and access-control gates constitute the prerequisite for all smart applications.

Let data speak for itself: Data delivers value only when aggregated and put into practical use, as demonstrated by passenger-flow heatmaps and visitor profiling.

Prioritize both conservation and visitor experience: Digital tools protect fossil sites and granite landforms while delivering more convenient travel experiences for visitors.

Adopt iterative upgrading rather than pursuing one‑off completion: Launched in 2006, the platform has matured through successive rounds of upgrades.

This practical model offers a valuable reference for the digital operation of other mountain-type UNESCO Global Geoparks across China.