Tower View, Museum of Man, San Diego

An interactive installation featuring stories and live views from the historic California Tower

About the Project:

Tower View provides a sweeping interactive experience that allows everyone, regardless of ability or limitations, to explore the California Tower at the San Diego Museum of Man without ever leaving the ground. At the base of the Tower, visitors are immersed in live 4k video panoramas displayed in ultra-high definition across a 78 inch curved LCD screen. A simple touch interface allows you to select live views to the north, south, east and west, as well as time-lapse and tilt-shift views. A companion touchscreen features a suite of videos with rich contextual information. A Tower tour guide provides visitors with insights into the unique history, architecture and cultural significance of the iconic building.

How We Did It

Our BPOC IT staff networked four 4k weatherproof cameras with a fiber connection down the Tower and into a Mac Pro in the gallery space. VLC displays each stream and video in its own virtual desktop, while node.js, HTML5, and Applescript allow the iPad to switch views. The video touch screen is a custom HTML5 application and video capture, editing and post-production was coordinated and completed by our team. Screens, mounts and UI meet ADA accessibility standards.