The wonders of space come to Jhansi as Pan Intellecom presses the latest display technologies into action to render engaging and
educating content at this museum.
Museums have become a crucial component of India’s nation-building efforts in recent years. Harbir Singh Harbir, director at Pan Intellecom, sheds further light on how museums fit into the country’s march beyond progress: “India has been investing in and developing smart cities and what this means is that you have a ‘base area development’ that requires solutions such as smart CCTV, automation data, traffic management systems, and a lot more to deserve the moniker of being smart. But once this base area development is executed you need to look at spaces and facilities that enrich the lives of citizens, such as parks and museums. Museums in particular are something that can engage citizens and create a link with the culture of the country which is why they have become a popular part of smart cities, and this is also true for Jhansi smart city.”
Pan Intellecom was the systems integrator for the Jhansi Space Museum which is a part of Jhansi smart city. Harbir details the directives given to the integrator: “The client wanted a world-class facility in the city that would be on par with international standards. We participated in the tender with this directive in mind and were awarded the project. The scope of our involvement was quite extensive as we handled the civil construction, the deployment of technology, as well as the creation of the content. This required extensive research on our part as well as engagement with subject matter experts from various trades and fields so that Pan Intellecom was able to deliver what the client expected.”
It is interesting to note that Pan Intellecom was responsible for not only deploying technology but also for creating the content that technology would communicate to visitors and patrons. Harbir comments: “More and more, we are finding that the display cannot just be a rectangle or a box. A nonstandard display is able to better engage audiences. And with non-standard displays you need to make sure that the content is suitable. The resolution and the format have to match. So, when it comes to museums, we are finding that the two things need to go together. Which is why we take ownership of the content creation as well.”
To live up to the expectations of the end user, Jhansi Space Museum has been fitted with a range of technology solutions that aim to engage and enrich the experience of the visitor. The content, as the name suggests, is educational and based around the achievements of Indians. Technology is adeptly employed to convey the themes the content aims to communicate.
Blended projection is used to showcase the origin and theory of the expansion of the universe. Projection mapping is used to bring the solar system to life and communicate the scale and grandeur of space while highlighting Indian astronomical discoveries. Domed projection and a planetarium have been created to provide a sense of immersion and take the visitor on a journey to the edge of the universe.
Samsung interactive screens are used to engage the visitors with games and quizzes. Holograms are used to show the birth, life, and death of the stars. And even kinetic models are employed.
Regarding the breadth of technology used, Harbir comments: “The client wanted the visitors to the museum to engage with the content. And this was the reason that we employed various technologies, from projection mapping to create immersion to interactive screens to give the visitors autonomy. And there was also a drive on our part to bring a sense of wonder to Jhansi. This can be seen in the planetarium. Planetariums might be common in big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, but we believe that they should be present across India in all cities. Afterall, you never know who you will inspire with your work and how this inspiration will spur them on to achieve great things in the future.”
Projection is the staple display technology at the Jhansi Space Museum with Digital Projection projectors being employed across all the spaces. Harbir says: “We chose the Digital Projection projectors because of their colour reproduction, which in my opinion is the best in the market. The content that was to be displayed had prominent colours and we knew that Digital Projection projectors would make it come to life at the museum. We’ve experienced the quality of Digital Projection when we have used their products for previous projects, so we were confident they were the right pick to create the vibrant visuals we had envisioned. Adding to that, Delta has good presence in India so we were also assured that should we require service and support we would be in good hands.”
Dataton Watchout is employed for processing with signals being transmitted over optical fibre. Harbir adds: “One of the technical outcomes we wanted to achieve for the projection was to make sure that the content and the capabilities of the projectors were matched. We have extremely dynamic 4K content and I have already discussed how we selected Digital Projection projectors to make sure that the quality of the visuals was properly conveyed. On the technical side, from the technical specifications of the projectors to the Dataton processing, we worked to make sure that the resolution of the content was maintained optically and that the input and output resolutions were matched for the best outcome.”
Pan Intellecom’s drive to deliver for its clients meant that the integrator was willing to step out of its comfort zone. Harbir provides further details: “The kinetic models fit the overall theme of the human spirit and how it is limitless. By having human models that moved through the space we were able to convey this theme very accurately to visitors. The addition of movement to spectacles and attractions is a new inclusion and this was the first time that we executed a deployment of this kind. We learned a lot during the course of this project about motors and movement and how to implement this kinetic element. The Pan Intellecom team gained a lot of expertise, and we feel even more confident undertaking such projects in the future.”
Other challenges included managing the scale of the project effectively and Harbir adds: “We experienced challenges with prefab structures through the course of this project in terms of their delivery and when they were made available to us. To be honest, looking at the project in retrospect it might just have been easier to try and construct the structures we needed on site.”
He continues: “Another challenge was ensuring that the content we created was approved by the client. Work on this project started almost two years ago and as can be imagined, the direction the client wanted for the content changed over the course of these two years. There were additions and changes and we had to go with the flow. For example the look and feel of the solar system changed during the course of the project. The interactive screens were added to the project down the line, and this meant that interactive content in the form of games and quizzes had to be designed and added.”
Harbir concludes: “You need to create an experience when it comes to museums. We live in an age where technology has come very far, putting the world at the fingertips of users. They can explore and learn about anything they want at any time. The traditional role of museums which was to educate the visitor and broaden their horizons is still there, but it cannot be the only function they perform. Museums need to create an experience. They need to be able to curate a journey for the visitor that will make them engage with the content in a new way which is not accessible to them through other mediums and portals. We need to create an impression which will spur the visitor’s creativity and inquisitiveness and more. This is what Pan Intellecom always seeks to achieve and we will continue to do.”