Page 240 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2015240The experience is evaluated in order to adapt it to the needs of visitors and the institution based on the results of the research.For the Museo de la Ciudad de México, the Mexican company has designed an initial version of an interactive digital map library.56It is an installation that tells the history and development of Mexico City through its maps. It is created from maps belonging to the Archivo Histórico Federal and the museum’s own collec- tions, which were first digitised. It is a timeline that spans more than five centuries of the city’s history (1524–1929), stressing the milestones that have shaped its character.Visitors interact with the map using sensors that detect hand movements, allowing them to move around the chosen map, enlarging it to observe details, or reducing it as required. Each image can be isolated and more specific information related directly to the map and the context in which it was made can be obtained. Its main purpose is to build an educational and infor- mative tool that allows all visitors to enjoy the experience of viewing a historical map without endangering the conservation of the original.The exhibition Mayas, Revelación de un Tiempo sin Fin (The Maya, revelation of an endless time) was held at the Palacio Nacional de la Ciudad de México from December 2013 to April 2014, organised by the Mexican Instituto Nacional de Antropología. It featured a total of 479 pieces that spanned a long period of history, from 2,500 BC to the present day. They were arranged by theme in order to show the richness and the full range of aspects of Mayan culture. As well as the aesthetic value of the pieces, theexhibition showed the ways of life, political, social, religious organisation and even the characteristic world view of this culture.With the support of professionals of the INAH, siete|media developed five different interactive installations that contextualisedthe pieces on show in the exhibition without detracting from their importance. The firstwas a timeline explaining the development of the Maya from 2,500 BC to AD 1,550. The second was a map showing the extension of the “Maya Nation”. The third installation consisted of a series of four interactive models that featured the cities of Copán, Pakal, Palenque and Chichén Itzá, to scale. For the fourth, the Stele of the Señor de Machaquilá was takenas a reference for addressing the theme of Mayan glyphs. The last interactive installation was designed to gather useful information on visitors’ opinions. This system allowed the INAH to analyse the results and take them into account for future exhibitions.57Mission Gaia is an immersive and interactive experience that can be enjoyed at the Montreal Science Center and opened in 2008 as part of the permanent exhibition. It consists of touch- screens and various devices that require visitors to interact. It is a game centred on sustainable development issues, in which visitors can take part alone or in groups, and is designed to make us reflect on the natural disasters that occurred during the twentieth century, providing solu- tions for a city such as Montreal, and in its last phase for the planet in general. Its aim is to serve as an educational tool to raise awareness of the urgent need to take action on environmental issues.Focus 2015. Museums and New Technologies