Project Title: California Land Grab 

Museum/ Institution: Oakland Museum of California 

Program Created: 06/2010 

Media Category: Interactive Surface 

Program URL (if available): NA 

Project Image(s) and/or Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=a738Z4ZjGaQ

Media Source(s)/Credit(s): 

www.Ideum.com

Program Description: 

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is a little unusual in that it’s not dedicated exclusively to history, science, or art but rather all of these things and more as they relate to the culture of California. The “California Land Grab” exhibit, situated within the history section of the museum explores the settlement of the state through historical maps and related artifacts.

The interactive table (31" x 30.5" x 51.5") forms a centerpiece for the exhibit. A touch-sensitive screen employs a large California map as it's base art. Arrayed across the map are numerous geo-tagged documents and artifact images. Each is an interactive touch point. Objects can be “grabbed,” rotated and enlarged through direct finger movements against the screen. A swipe of the finger “flips” the object to reveal detailed narrative information on the back. Tapping to close the object restores it to it’s original position. A scalable enlargement tool designed to look like a 19th century magnifying glass for even closer examination appears to float just above the map and objects images.

Although a Bose speaker system for sound effects is built into the base I don’t recall if the sound was activated for this particular exhibit. California Land Grab employs proprietary hardware (MT-50 Multitouch Table) and software (GestureWorks) created by Ideum.

Firsthand or secondary review/critique: 

The interactive table served as an effective means for matching documents with the physical locations they describe. The MT-50 reacted quickly to physical inputs and functioned reliably. The design of the interactivity was very intuitive. Visitors experimenting with it appeared to learn the rules of the interactive almost immediately.

Because this particular exhibit space is so reliant on two-dimensional maps, the physical presence of the table and the activity on the screen enlivened the environment. The scale of the table and the single magnification tool seemed to encourage collaboration (multiuser input) as well as sharing (a single magnify tool). The scale of the screen allowed plenty of room for four or so people to share operation of the program at once. The resolution of the images remained sharp and colorful when enlarged.

The 31” height of the table meets ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) specifications. The combination of the devise height and the directly upward-facing screen appeared to offer a secondary benefit. Although easily accessed by standing adults, the height and angle appeared prevented very young children from playing on it and interrupting the adults. This seems like a logical format for interactives presenting adult- and adolescent-oriented material such as historical maps and documents.

Technologies incorporated:

Adobe Flash, GestureWorks, MT-50 Multitouch table

Internally or externally produced:

Collaboration between OMCA and Ideum

Entry Contributor and Date:

Clay Williams 01/29/2012

Related projects:

L.A. Zone exhibit:

www.ideum.com/interactive-exhibits/los-angeles-basin-multitouch-multi-user-mapping-exhibit/

Animal Comparison exhibit:

www.ideum.com/interactive-exhibits/animal-comparison-multitouch-exhibit/