Roland Tanglao's Weblog

e-Campus from Lancaster university, UK

• Context aware tour guide:
• differentiator - like to deploy stuff, put units in the tourist info centre i.e. in the "wild"
• You can't have ubicomp , ubiquitious computing, without deployment!
• What is e-Campus?
• large scale deployment of networked interactive displays across the campus
• put 3 data projectors in underpass
• hard, equipment not designed for 24/7 deployment
• designed reliable system for 8000 pounds
• lessons:
• should have budgeted up font
• want to create open infrastructure that's community resource
• tell stories over place and time
• adapt content as people pass by
• We don't know how people interact with displays
• Group interaction
• Walk up and use
• Stuck because how do you engage large amount of people
• need creativity to figure out new ways
• are using mobile phones for now
• have to make this kind of thing lower cost and easier to maintain
• Opening night was success
• way too many people
• complete rack of equipment: UPS, etc in dank underpass
• Need tools to make content production easier
• Learned
• artists really cared about how content looked
• No need to keep displays busy
• Timing is important
• Had to support a whole load of tools
• Content is eveything
• Decision: if no content, leave it off rather over-exposing
• Campus map application:
• base is phone with no software
• hard to get people to install their custom java app
• Nuffield theatre
• something behind
• Converging on a standard install that uses stock hardware not custom stuff
• typical node is dual platform, pc linux running expiremental software + mac running sony ziis signage software
• gesture based interaction using cameras built into phones
• lot of contributed content
• Lessons:
• Be sensitive to situation/environment you are deploying in (e.g. can't interfere with exams with noisy exhibit)
• Don't underestimate real deployment costs. Test where you are going to deploy.
• Content is the system and how it's perceived. Need to moderate, garden and nurture content as always!
• Where are they now?
• 6 live sites
• content is coming in
• solid hardware and software platform?
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