Association of Zoos and Aquariums Interactive Kiosks
One of the most exciting initiatives that Imperial Multimedia has underway is a project to design and build interactive kiosks that will be used throughout the country in all major zoos and aquariums. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) with funding from Discovery Network / Animal Planet, contracted Imperial Multimedia to assist them in developing a universal design that could be placed indoor or outdoor and in varying environments. Imperial collaborated with experts from the Bronx Zoo in New York, The Brevard Zoo in Florida and the Tennessee Aquarium. The final design resulted in a very attractive, tall, rust colored, cylindrical structure with attention grabbing graphics that catch the eye even from a distance, making the kiosk an information packed and entertaining stand alone exhibit. As of August, 2009, the kiosks have been installed at the Philadelphia Zoo, Pittsburgh Zoo, Columbus Zoo, St. Louis Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Atlanta Zoo, Houston Zoo, and Busch Gardens Tampa. The tenth is slated to be installed at Portland Zoo, in time for the fall AZA Conference. The next five are in process of location determination and are planned for installation early in 2010.
The Zoos were offered choices for the content, choosing from the following categories: Zoo Scoop, Behind the Scenes, The Dirt on Animals, Animals Save the Planet, Animal Planet on TV and Get Involved. Some Zoos provided their own video footage therefore tailoring the messages to their location. The educational yet entertaining content ranges from video segments allowing people to see what happens behind the scenes, cleverly created animated vignettes conveying conservation messages, freaky facts about animals most of us aren't aware of, specially developed Animal Planet videos and how you can get involved.
The funding for the first 15 units provided by Discovery Networks/Animal Planet as a component of a much larger joint venture that also includes other elements such as television spots featuring the Geico Gecko talking to zoo animals about the partnership with the AZA as well as other Animal Planet programming.
