The Millennium Gate

In collaboration with Highlands Historic Consulting (HHC) and the National Monuments Foundation (NMF), IMTC has developed an innovative, immersive interaction experience for the Millennium Gate Philanthropy Gallery (on the lower floor of the Millennium Gate). Rodney Cook, Jr of the National Monuments Foundation was looking for someone capable of devising and delivering this full-gallery experience. With a referral from Catherine Lewis with the Atlanta History Center (related to our work with her on Bobby Jones Kiosk), Mr. Cook approached IMTC with a basic concept in mind. The goal of the project was to show how philanthropy has shaped Atlanta over the years and left us with a legacy to be proud of. In March, 2007, IMTC began developing the concept further and envisioning technology and media content to accomplish the goals for the Philanthropy Gallery Exhibit . IMTC has utilized most of its researchers to develop the exhibit, including 2D and 3D content creation, graphic design, game engine authoring, hardware hacking, photography and videography, video editing, project management, and much more. Further details on the project are found below.

IMTC would like to thank the many organizations who helped us refine script and image or video content for the exhibition.

Philanthropy Gallery Interactive Exhibit

The Philanthropy Gallery is a grand interactive experience in which patrons will discover the vital role philanthropy has played in shaping Atlanta over the years. Through this immersive exhibit, visitors will experience the extraordinary dedication and generosity that characterizes a philanthropist. They will get to know many of Atlanta’s prominent citizens, past and present, whose vision and commitment of time and money is evidenced throughout the city. Patrons will leave with a deeper understanding of Atlanta's arts, entertainment, cultural, leisure, healthcare and educational institutions, which would not have been possible without generous gifts from Atlanta’s people.

Developed by the Interactive Media Technology Center (IMTC) at Georgia Tech, in collaboration with Highland Historic Consulting and the National Monuments Foundation, the exhibit blends super-high-definition imagery with 3D graphics to allow visitors to explore how philanthropy has transformed Atlanta from a sleepy Southern city to the gateway to the world.

The interactive exhibit allows visitors to experience a room-sized immersive view of Atlanta, while interacting with the exhibit to learn about the history of the city and its rich philanthropic tradition. This installation provides visitors with an educational, entertaining, and novel media experience that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The interaction is crafted such that the exhibit can be used effectively by a single person or a large school group, with up to three interacting with the program simultaneously. 

Details

As the visitor walks up the ramp in the Philanthropy Gallery, they will be awed by a 21 foot projection wall featuring photorealistic street-level and birds-eye views of several locations in present day Atlanta. Once within the space, the visitor to the gallery is drawn to the center of the room, where a touchscreen control panel provides an interactive map of the area and portraits of some of Atlanta’s most notable philanthropists.  After a brief introduction to the program, the visitor is able to select from one of three the general areas around Atlanta (Downtown, Midtown, and Atlanta University Center). The presentation will highlight various buildings and areas in the virtual scene and explain their philanthropic history. While the program plays, multiple visitors may use one of three “magic spotlights” which reveal more information in the scene. In this way several people can enjoy the exhibit at once, with some of them controlling the location and orientation of the overall city view, while others play with the spotlights to explore the results of philanthropy on the shaping Atlanta. Of course, any number of visitors can simply watch the media presentation, enjoying the large immersive 3D views of the city. While adults may be more interested in the detailed information of the media presentation, children will be intrigued by the immersive display, the touchable map, and the magic spotlights which will engage them in the educational content of the exhibit.

De Tocqueville Video

Another contribution to the Millennium Gate by IMTC is the video in the Tocqueville corridor. IMTC worked closely with the National Monuments Foundation and Highland Historic Consulting to develop the storyboard and edit the 720p HD video for the space that will playback on 42" and 37" plasma displays using a solid state media player module.