Gulf of Maine Research Institute - Cohen Center for Interactive Learning
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How can students' natural interest in the marine environment be developed into a deep, continuous and lifelong passion for stewardship of the Gulf of Maine watershed? This is the challenge XhibitNet and the educators at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) took on, designing and developing a $2.2 million networked learning facility with a personalized, database-driven web content interaction system at GMRI's new marine research lab in Portland, Maine.
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5th and 6th graders participate in a two-hour field trip to conduct their own in-depth, simulated marine research investigations, experiments and virtual commercial fishing expeditions with a realistic economic simulation.
Teams work on 12 networked, high-definition interactive computer stations saving personal artifacts via digital video dissecting microscopes, video report cameras and underwater schooling tank cameras, then present their findings in summary "peer review" sessions.
All digital artifacts are saved to personal science notebook websites where the students can annotate, update and export their data to create extended research reports integrated with other class projects and materials.
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Gulf of Maine Research Institute - Donor Recognition Wall
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How do you thank individuals, corporations and foundations while sharing the story that encouraged their support and generosity? For nearly twenty years an incredible mix of community, business, and legislative support helped define and fund GMRI all the while inspiring more and more to become involved. GMRI's donors feel a strong sense of pride and ownership in the facility and continue to compel others with the story and vision.
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Visitors to GMRI pass by a high-definition plasma display and a touchscreen kiosk which are integrated into a wall of etched glass tiles.
Donors, employees, scientists and fishermen share their thoughts on video regarding the importance of the facility, such as the environmental impact, the economic benefits and the research opportunities.
By interacting with a touchscreen, visitors choose to watch the entire presentation or navigate to specific themes: history, science, education and community.
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Orlando Science Center
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How can you determine the feasibility of developing a content authoring, presentation and communication
system that helps to engage science center visitors in a self-sustaining cycle of personalized,
participatory science inquiry? To answer this question XhibitNet partnered with Orlando Science Center and
the Gulf of Maine Research Institute on its prototype, "Mastering Magnetism", funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
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The exhibit is designed for a team-based approach with a combination of hands-on objects, animation, film clips, and printouts to prompt investigation into how magnets work.
As visitors interact with the kiosk, they create various artifacts such as team photos, report videos, and drawings. These artifacts are passed off to the Artifact Processor which performs all preparation work required before a session can be transferred into a web friendly format and uploaded to the personalized website.
For quantitative evaluation, various tracking and log files gather metrics, such as the number of visitors, hold time, and number of digital artifacts.
Visitor videos provide qualitative data through insight into what they learned or experienced while interacting with the exhibit.
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Portland Harbor Museum
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How do you engage visitors to dive deeper toward understanding the important eras that shaped the communities
along Portland Harbor? Portland Harbor Museum lies within the walls of 19th century Fort Preble. Visitors
learn about legendary maritime disasters and their effect on the Portland Harbor community through
artifacts and images from a number of local wrecks.
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An arcade style game encourages visitors to listen to clues to collect historic artifacts via ship and
battle a huge nor'easter storm across Portland Harbor to deliver them to the dock for its time period.
Try it out for yourself using the web version of the game Heroes
and Shipwrecks.
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Wells Reserve
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How does a small education facility engage and inform visitors of varying ages about the ecology of an estuary? The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve approached XhibitNet to assist them in fulfilling this mission.
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Visitors to the Maine Coastal Ecology Center interact with a marshland diorama exhibit.
The diorama features an audio narration of a grandfather’s exploration of the marsh one morning with his granddaughter.
High quality and realistic sound effects of marsh life are integrated with the exhibit and focus attention on the appropriate areas of the diorama.
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Interactive Ads, LLC
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How do you provide an innovative and cost-effective way to display real estate advertisements? Interactive Ads, LLC hired XhibitNet to assist them in creating a unique solution.
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Maine Mall visitors are drawn to an interactive kiosk by an attract loop playing on 4 large plasma screens each showing 12 real estate properties.
Using a touchscreen, prospective buyers can view the details for a property and print out a specification sheet.
Real estate brokers can log in to Interactive Ad's website to create an account, add property specifications, upload photos and purchase ad space.
Submitted listings are stored in a backend database which dynamically drives content to the kiosk and tracks requests for spec sheets.
Through high speed internet, staff can quickly, remotely and continually update the kiosk with new listings.
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Polaroid
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How do you build consumer awareness of new low-cost Pronto cameras/film while generating excitement about Polaroid pictures as "instant memories"? By creating an interactive video wall to tie Polaroid products to NBA/NHL events.
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An interactive booth screen attracts people and projects images to promote new Polaroid products resulting in increases in sales and awareness of Polaroid cameras and products.
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