Tourists in Rio de Janeiro searching for the best beaches, bars or bands only need to look down at the sidewalks of the cidade maravilhosa ("marvelous city" in Portuguese).

Embedded into the black-and-white mosaics that decorate sidewalks all over town will be 30 two-dimensional bar codes at beaches, vistas and historic sites.

The first have been installed at Arpoador, a massive boulder at the end of Ipanema Beach. Onlookers download an app to their smartphones or tablets, photograph the icon and are directed to a website that churns out tourist information in Portuguese, Spanish or English, along with a map of the area.

Locals, who are repeatedly asked for directions by visitors, like this technology a lot, saying that more tourist information has long been needed in Rio.

— Gay Nagle Myers