A local data provision system comprising: a plurality of transmitters each located at a respective entity having a limited range of physical utility, and each transmitter being arranged repeatedly or on demand to transmit wirelessly a signal carrying data indicating the presence of the respective entity over a range substantially coterminous with the range of utility of that entity; and a personal information unit comprising a user interface for signaling information to a user and a receiver arranged to receive the availability data and to cause the user interface to signal information to the user in dependence on the received availability data.