Improving Visual Web Experience

This session's title was "Improving Visual Web Experience", but it really concentrated on several tools that produce visuals - photos, 3-d models, and maps.

These are my raw notes from this AM's session:

Improving Visual Web Experience

I. Using Deepzoom & Photosynth to Improve Patron Experiences

Mike Beccaria & Heather Harrison from Paul Smith's College

Deepzoom - allows you to take large photos & zoom in & out seamlessly - MS tech

in silverlight now (approx. 60% adoption, alt to Flash)

Hard Rock Memorabilia

yosemite Deepzoom Panorama Project

AJAX Demo

only works when you have silverlight in browser

can use the AJAX version, so people don't need to have silverlight installed

How to compose project in DeepZoom Composer

- download software

- create new project, add images

- then "Compose"

- drag & drop images on workspace, make columns, decide how many columns you want

- once created save & Export - Custom - select options for export, preview in browser

- embed in you own website -

- upload project folder to your web server,

dzc_output.xml file

Use in Libraries

1. create a library map

2. digital galleries of student & staff work

- great way to host mini digital collections - can even put on Wordpress

3. scanned pages of a book & display all at once

- use Silverlight & SOLR to search

Photosynth

- merges photos into 3D space

- Microsoft Labs - beta

- freely downloadable software (like DeepZoom)

- incorporated into Silverlight

- go to photosynth.net to find out how to do it

(ex. Obama inauguration site)

- added panoramic feature & can make hotspots on photo data

ideas:

- new books

- magazines

- shelving (use 2D mode) - browse the shelves

- art gallery on display physically - take pics of gallery space

- photosynth makes point plots with x,y,z coords - can hack to get point clouds, which then could be used it for 3D model of library - library tour?

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Improving Visual Web Experience

Len Davidson, Catholic University of America

Maps - Google & Bing

Bing just came out with mashup with foursquare

bing.com/maps

get the latest version

- choose map apps

- click on twitter maps

Geochirp.com

Google Fusion Tables

data - visualize on map (google fusion in beta)

aerial photos & historical maps

- NYCityMap

but you can build something like this for free

Can do it in google -

but easier in Bing MapCruncher

US Geological Survey - Earth Explorer (for highest res = charge, but medium res = free)

Choose points to line up, then click render & upload to a web server - layered map - can switch & merge, etc.

besides software, all you need is space on a web server

(that would be really cool for archaeology & my lost road)

location-based social networking

- foursquare.com (see who's using your library)

- Hyatt Regency's FourSquare page

Bing has a live map of foursquare data