<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55";
panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@Arial Unicode MS";
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
p.xbodytext, li.xbodytext, div.xbodytext
{mso-style-name:x_bodytext;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-para-margin-top:.01gd;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:0in;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times","serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
p.BodyA, li.BodyA, div.BodyA
{mso-style-name:"Body A";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:black;}
span.Hyperlink1
{mso-style-name:"Hyperlink\.1";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-CA" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><a name="OLE_LINK5"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">November 03, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;text-autospace:none">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Pleistocene meets touchscreen at the Royal BC Museum
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;text-autospace:none">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="OLE_LINK12"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Victoria, BC—</span></b></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Thousands of years ago mammoths
roamed Southern Vancouver Island, and now visitors to the Royal BC Museum can experience an animated slice of Pleistocene life, including the illusion of mammoths in motion.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Today, the Royal BC Museum launched a new downloadable interactive for iPhone and iPad users, featuring augmented reality (AR). The interactive, called “Woolly’s
World,” created by Vancouver-based tech firm NGX Interactive, allows visitors to see a variety of Ice Age animals animated in the diorama that is home to the museum’s iconic Woolly Mammoth.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">“This is a superb example of how cutting-edge technology can help bring the past to life right before our eyes,” said Royal BC Museum CEO Prof. Jack Lohman. “Augmented
reality is just the latest digital innovation at the Royal BC Museum, another way to connect people with our millions of artifacts, specimens and archival records.”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">“The app will spark people’s imaginations and curiosity by transforming a beloved exhibit in a fun new way,” said NGX Interactive Producer Hanna Cho. “With the
right balance of educational content and playful design, the app will let visitors dig deeper into the mammoth’s story through animations, illustrations and sound effects.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The interactive allows visitors to view a Short-faced bear, a pair of Mammoths, a Western Heather Vole and a White-tailed Ptarmigan, all animals that would have
coexisted with “Woolly” in the Pleistocene era. Just as importantly, the app provides visitors with rich, accurate and entertaining textual information about the animals’ lives.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The app is geared for kids between the ages of three and seven years old. Parents can share the content with non-readers, and even very young children will be able
to manipulate the app to see the animals. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">A broad spectrum of Royal BC Museum staff were involved in the development of the interactive, including Curatorial, Learning, Exhibition and Digital teams, ensuring
that the interactive is accurate, educational, beautiful and easy to use. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The creation of the augmented reality interactive was generously supported by NGX Interactive and the John and Joan Walton Innovators Fund.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Student feedback contributed to the decision to use AR in the Natural History entrance: visitors felt Woolly might be lonely. Increasingly, digital solutions like
AR allow the Royal BC Museum to respond quickly to visitor requests and suggestions.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The Royal BC Museum is exploring other uses for AR throughout the galleries and exhibitions, as it allows staff members to update and add new content to permanent
displays without changing the physical features. AR will be featured at the November Happy Hour event, New Ways of Looking:
</span><a href="http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/visit/events/calendar/event/59232/museum-happy-hour-new-ways-looking"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/visit/events/calendar/event/59232/museum-happy-hour-new-ways-looking</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">To download the “Woolly’s World” interactive app before your visit to the Royal BC Museum, go to
</span><a href="http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/woolly"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/woolly</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">To see how the interactive app works, visit
</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAANdkY8ulI"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAANdkY8ulI</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">About the Royal BC Museum<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="xbodytext" style="margin-top:.1pt;background:white"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The Royal BC Museum explores the province’s human history and natural history, advances new knowledge and understanding of BC, and provides
a dynamic forum for discussion and a place for reflection. The museum and archives celebrate culture and history, telling the stories of BC in ways that enlighten, stimulate and inspire. Looking to the future, the Royal BC Museum will be a refreshed, modern
museum, extending its reach far beyond Victoria as a world-class cultural venue and repository of digital treasures.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xbodytext" style="margin-top:.1pt;background:white"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;background:white"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">- 30 -<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><a name="OLE_LINK1"></a><a name="OLE_LINK2"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Media contact:</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Royal BC Museum Media Inquiries
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">250-387-5051<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><a href="mailto:news@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">news@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">
</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="background:white"><span style="border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"><img border="0" width="19" height="16" id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image007.png@01D235CD.8E5971C0" alt="Twitter_logo_blue"></span><a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalBCMuseum"><span class="Hyperlink1"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55";color:black;text-decoration:none">@RoyalBCMuseum</span></span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">
</span><img border="0" width="18" height="18" id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image008.jpg@01D235CD.8E5971C0"><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""> </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/royalbcmuseum/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">royalbcmuseum</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">
</span><img border="0" width="22" height="22" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image009.jpg@01D235CD.8E5971C0"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/RoyalBCMuseum/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">RoyalBCMuseum</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>