Museums Aotearoa Conference 2013

By Kevin Wright

I attended the New Zealand Museums conference (Museums Aotearoa MA13) conference in Hamilton in April. The theme of the conference was leadership. The keynote speaker before lunch on Thursday was Andrew Sayers
Director The National Museum of Australia in Canberra.

I made a presentation “Innovations In Digital Media” to quite large breakout group after the lunch break. I covered several new global big picture innovations including the domination of the big 4 (Google, Facebook, Apple and Samsung.) New innovative stuff included the world’s first virtual car showroom, the first hotel to have smart phones as room keys and controller of all things in hotel rooms and the new leap motion computer gesture controller.
The raise of wearable computing was covered including the Pebble watch with a focus on the Google Glass product about to be released. This led on to some new augmented reality apps. After explaining how it works I went onto to show the use of A/R in a museum visitor environment.

Next I covered some innovative digital tech – available now for museums and galleries. This included:
Touch table apps including Collection Viewer from openexhibits.org
Gallery Augmented Reality Guide Apps
Touch display apps developed By TCP
Video Viewer App
ShowTouch Image Browsing App

I finished the presentation on innovative digital media hardware and systems
Windows 8, All –in-One Touch Systems
Sensor controlled systems including Touch Glass
The Samsung SUR 40 touch table
New audio systems for museums

My presentation was short but well received. Several people told me they appreciated finding out about the new innovations I covered.

TCP at RWC 2011

Last year, we were the only company to produce interactive media apps for public spaces using IRB content for the RWC 2011. We produced two interactive apps for the Rugby World Cup 2011 in Eden Park Pavilion.

Magic Moments was an interactive video app that had a wall of video clips for each year of the RWC since 1987. It was the first time that the IRB had allowed these video clips to be seen in a public space. Magic Moments played on a 32″ touch display and a large curved projection screen across the room. We had great feedback from this show from the fans; people loved seeing their favourite moments. Mike Millar, CEO of the IRB, told Kevin Wright it was “nice, very good”.

See a video on Youtube

Did You Know? was an interactive app about the RWC 2011. It featured a wide range of info including details on all 900 players and support staff. The schedule and results were also featured. We were the only developers who produced content for RWC 2011 linking into the IRB that I know of. “Did You Know?” played on a 40″ touch display plus on a large projection screen to the left of it so a lot of fans could see info on screen at once.

We learnt some lessons from the RWC 2011 re the use of public touch displays and large displays that show what the user of the touch system is interacting with. Can be applied to iPad’s with LCD displays overhead.

We also designed and set up a quiz  with a digital signage system  in the dining rooms at Eden Park Pavilion each night here was a game on at Eden Park. We did not supply the projection or audio systems.

Indigo Shire Gold Trail Info Touch Displays

We have supplied a geo based touch screen app for tourist use in northern Victoria. We developed “Our World 2D & 3D – Indigo Shire App” for use at the Visitor Information Centres in the towns of Beechworth, Yackandandah, Chiltern and Rutherglen, Indigo Shire, VIC, Australia.

Visitors are able to see points of interest on the Indigo Gold Trail and plan their journey. Also on the app are videos of virtual fly-ins to all the towns which we created with Google Earth.

These fly-ins allow visitors to see the terrain and plan their hiking or walking tour.

The app has a locally operated content management system that allows Indigo tourism managers to add, edit and delete points of interest.

Apple iPad for Museum Interactive Displays

We exhibited at the Museums Aotearoa Conference in New Plymouth in April. Museums Aotearoa members include the museums and galleries of New Zealand, museum staff members and service providers like The Complete Package Ltd. The conference theme was, “Articulating our relevance and value in changing and challenging times.”Tony Ellwood, Director of Queensland Art Gallery, spoke of us being in times of unprecedented innovation and that museums should react to technological innovation.

I made a presentation, “ Recent Developments In Digital Media” during the “Tech Heads” Seminar on Friday morning. My presentation focused on new touch technologies, especially multi-touch. I took the opportunity to promote the iPad as a museum interactive display. I suggested that the iPad would be great in museums interactive display exhibits because:
• It is ideal as an interactive multi-touch system due to it’s powerful graphics system
• Nearly 10” multi-touch screen makes it great to fit in small spaces
• A new Mac OS is to be released soon that will allow multi-tasking making it easier to create content for use in public spaces.
• Mounting the iPad can be done by us in such a way to secure the units
• Additional 32”- 40” displays can be added so other visitors can see what the iPad user is viewing.
The iPad is a low cost system that compares very well to existing touch systems.

I also spoke at Tech Heads of our proposed large multi-user, multi-touch video wall we are planning with the iQRite touch frame. We had a lot of interest at the Museums Aotearoa conference and exhhibition with our new product. We expect to get the first one set up in a New Zealand museum soon.

Buzz Aldrin Checks Out Our Google Earth on Large Multitouch App

At Planet2010 exhibition at SkyCity in Auckland there was a conference with Day One being for business people and Day 2 for the public. The keynote speaker for the conference was Buzz Aldrin, a man of extraordinary talent. He told his life story and what an amazing story. From fighter pilot to MIT student to NASA, to second man on the moon, to America’s “Dancing with the Stars” to President Obama’s task force on maned spaceflight to Mars. An excellent presentation from an inspirational man.

At 5pm during the cocktail function Buzz Aldrin came down the exhibition aisle towards our stand and I asked him to take a look at our App, Google Earth on Large Multitouch. He liked our App and the Apollo Tour in which he featured in very prominently. He was also one of the voices on the narration.

I asked Buzz for a picture with him which he kindly allowed.

Buzz Aldrin with Kevin Wright

I do not know how we managed to get the pic of Buzz descending from the lunar lander seen above his right shoulder onscreen at that point in time! This amazing pic by Neil Armstrong is the first of a man stepping down to the moon.

Then a few people came up and got their pics with Buzz. Suddenly there was hundreds of people coming up to our stand for their picture with Buzz. He stayed for over an hour and was very generous answering many questions.

Crowd Lines up for photo with Buzz Aldrin

I had the opportunity to chat to Buzz between pics on several topics and I was just amazed. I learnt some very interesting things including info about Apollo 11 right from the main man!

Buzz’s wife sat very patiently waiting for him on the TiVo stand. I suggested to him after an hour, he should go and see her, which he did. Buzz left his Blackberry and iPhone on our stand and when I took them over he said” I was coming back for those”.

Buzz brought his USA “Dancing with the Stars” partner Ashly to Auckland to practice what he described to me as his trajectory across the dance floor.  Practice was for 3 hrs a day! Buzz did media interviews most of the morning from 7 AM. I was so impressed with his vitality at 6pm after what would have been a gruelling day to men half his age. He had a smile and kind word for hundreds of people and I was very impressed in what he did for people.

See more of Buzz on twitter http://twitter.com/TheRealBuzz

TCP Exhibits At Planet2010 in Auckland

Last week we exhibited at the Planet2010 exhibition. We had a great turn out on both days and showed off our Apps, Google Earth On Large Multi-touch and WebTouch. We had 52” and  40” multi-touch displays on our stand as well as the only HP TouchSmart 26” AIO system in New Zealand.

Most visitors were very impressed and many thought Google Earth On Large Multi-touch (GEMT) was an awesome product. To be able to use multitouch gestures to navigate around he world is a great thing to do and visitors just loved the interface which works so much better than a keyboard and mouse.

Crowd at our stand, Planet2010

In the stand next to us we had the Vector team promoting a new fibre to the home product. They liked our GEMT product and asked if we would like to see it operating with really a hi speed gigabyte net connection. We said yes of course and an hour later we were connected. What a difference to our GEMT. The Earth pics were rendered on screen at a blistering rate, it just looked so good.

We had a lot of interest in our plans for a large multitouch multi-user video wall. We are now stepping up the development process.

Our Google Earth on Large Multitouch Sells To AUT University

We recently sold a 40” multi-touch system with our App “Google Earth on large Multitouch” to Auckland University of Technology Computer Science Department. It was used very successfully at an international conference. SKANZ 2010. The conference was to promote the Square Kilometre Array joint venture bid between Australia and New Zealand. If the joint Australia/New Zealand bid is successful, SKA will be the largest science project ever undertaken in Australia and New Zealand.

SKA Conference with our App Google Earth on Large Multitouch

Interpretation Association of Australia, Interpretation Network New Zealand, Joint Conference 2009 Presentation

At the Interpretation Association of Australia, Interpretation Network New Zealand Joint Conference 2009 in Rotorua, Kevin Wright from TCP made a presentation entitled “New Developments In Digital Media”. A copy of the Powerpoint presentation will be be linked to as soon as the presintation is transferred from Keynote to PowerPoint.

In todays New Zealand Herald, there is a story and picture on our Google Earth on multi-touch system at Auckand Stardome. The story “The Whole World In Your Hands”  features a picture of two hands navigating the multi-touch interface. It shows how the system is working within the browser and the navigation and help links designed by TCP for information and tours with Google Earth.

This story is not saved online at the New Zealand Herald website. For more information see the news page on the TCP website http://www.pac.co.nz/pages/new.htm. There is a video showing the system in operation on Youtube here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoE7XHC6SoE

The Whole World In Your Hands

We recently got Google Earth Pro working on a 40″ multi-touch display at the Auckland Stardome. We put out the following press release:

Google Earth On Large Multi-touch Display at Stardome Observatory – An Amazing Experience

Stardome Google Earth wide shot

Every year over 60,000 people visit Auckland’s Stardome Observatory to get closer to the myriad stars and planets that make up our universe. Now, thanks to Google Earth Pro and world–leading, multi-touch and gesture touchscreen technology, visitors to Stardome can discover the world entirely differently..

Google Earth’s interactive, global map content is now a star attraction at Stardome, viewed on a 40-inch LCD monitor, with all features accessed and navigated by way of  multi-touch and gesture technology, similar to that found on the Apple iPhone. No keyboard and no mouse used; the locally-developed The Google Earth On Large Multi-touch system effectively harnesses sight, touch and intuition to create an amazing user experience. Zoom in and out with stretch and pinch gestures. Rotate the earth with horizontal swipes. Change the camera point of view with vertical swipes. So much easier to use than with a keyboard and mouse.

Many features available on Google Earth are on the Stardome display. Take a tour around planet Earth to the Stardome. Switch to Sky mode and view our entire solar system. It is easy to see other planets and galaxies in our solar system Change your view from Earth to the Moon and to Mars.

Google Earth On Large Multi-touch uses Google Earth Pro which can be licensed for use in public spaces. Google Earth on a large multi-touch display at Auckland Stardome is an innovative, possibly world-first, development by Auckland digital media company, The Complete Package Limited.

For further details, visit http://www.pac.co.nz or talk to Kevin Wright, +64-9-360 1817