Friday, September 26, 2008
Last Post!
Well, believe it or not, summer is over. And with the changing seasons, it's time for this blog to hibernate for awhile. This was a great way for me to document my travels and projects throughout the summer, but I think this blog has potential for so much more. In an ideal world, the posts would be created by other staff and scientists and I would act as an editor of sorts. So I'm going to step back for awhile, rethink this idea, and hopefully return, better than ever (!), sometime in the future.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Filming with Ron Bend: Lewis and Clark NHP
So many great photos from Monday. I'm seriously thinking about starting a Flickr account for work.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Org(anization) Chart
Here's the first draft of an org chart that shows the structure of the North Coast and Cascades Inventory and Monitoring Program:
Travel Report: Glacier National Park
“So basically what you’re telling me,” I asked Tim Gilk, IT administrator, and Bill Hayden, Interpretive Media Specialist at Glacier National Park “is that anything is possible?”
“Yes,” they replied.
We were sitting down in Bill’s office on Friday afternoon and they were showing me the ease at which their NPS website can be updated. Information like when a campground fills or the status of the Going-to-the-Sun Road or cross-country skiing conditions is displayed in real-time and bypasses the current CMS restrictions. Even historical data like the average temperature for, say September 7, between 1990 and 2000, can be determined. It seemed like whatever Bill, Tim, and David Restivo, another Visual Information Specialist, could dream up, it could happen.
It was at this point that my brain started firing away with little ideas we could try back at our own Research Learning Network and it was at this point that I felt very grateful for visiting Glacier.
While the park itself was stunning—a hybrid of North Cascades and Yosemite—it was the staff that truly impressed me. As I continue to find during my travels, National Park Service employees are enthusiastic and passionate about their work. Sure there might be some eye-rolling about bureaucracy, but at the end of the day we’re here because we believe in our NPS Mission.
Here are some highlights of what I learned:
-Apple computers are possible to be connected to the NPS network!
-Glacier has a huge fan-club following of web-cam viewers, to the point that there are daily e-mails thanking the park for having them and/or complaining that a camera has been bumped and that the view is off by an inch. In the greater scheme of things, these cameras have allowed park visitors to stay connected to their park resources, despite geographic distances.
-The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center recently hired a new staff member to improve their publications and web-presence. Thus, they are addressing some of the same communication issues as our own network. I’m anticipating future collaboration, or at least park-to-park camaraderie in the future. Sallie Hejl, their director, was also very excited about the projects we are developing.
-After a conference call between Bill, Jerry and myself, it seems that the Yellowstone Science Learning Center model is something we should aspire to, at least in terms of our web-presence. It’s incredibly content-rich with material available for the general public and scientists alike.
-Discussions with park staff reinforced my belief that the national park experience isn’t limited to park boundaries and that digital media is one means of reaching out to non-traditional park visitors—be it the upcoming tech-saavy generation, urban populations or handicapped visitors. I now have digital templates for Glacier’s interactive e-hikes, have seen how their podcasts are produced and can now create 360 degree virtual reality panoramic movies.
-Lastly, I learned that hiking in grizzly bear country can be a little nerve-wracking. Fortunately, the views make up for having to carry bear spray and shouting loudly every few hundred feet.
As I reflected on this trip, driving across the flats of Eastern Washington, it was apparent that this was a fruitful learning experience. I witnessed not only very successful models of communication (Freeman Tilden Award!), but also staff that have the energy and creativity to lead the National Park Service. Knowing our own staff and resources in the Pacific Northwest, I believe that this too is something we can achieve. Thanks everyone for this opportunity!
“Yes,” they replied.
We were sitting down in Bill’s office on Friday afternoon and they were showing me the ease at which their NPS website can be updated. Information like when a campground fills or the status of the Going-to-the-Sun Road or cross-country skiing conditions is displayed in real-time and bypasses the current CMS restrictions. Even historical data like the average temperature for, say September 7, between 1990 and 2000, can be determined. It seemed like whatever Bill, Tim, and David Restivo, another Visual Information Specialist, could dream up, it could happen.
It was at this point that my brain started firing away with little ideas we could try back at our own Research Learning Network and it was at this point that I felt very grateful for visiting Glacier.
While the park itself was stunning—a hybrid of North Cascades and Yosemite—it was the staff that truly impressed me. As I continue to find during my travels, National Park Service employees are enthusiastic and passionate about their work. Sure there might be some eye-rolling about bureaucracy, but at the end of the day we’re here because we believe in our NPS Mission.
Here are some highlights of what I learned:
-Apple computers are possible to be connected to the NPS network!
-Glacier has a huge fan-club following of web-cam viewers, to the point that there are daily e-mails thanking the park for having them and/or complaining that a camera has been bumped and that the view is off by an inch. In the greater scheme of things, these cameras have allowed park visitors to stay connected to their park resources, despite geographic distances.
-The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center recently hired a new staff member to improve their publications and web-presence. Thus, they are addressing some of the same communication issues as our own network. I’m anticipating future collaboration, or at least park-to-park camaraderie in the future. Sallie Hejl, their director, was also very excited about the projects we are developing.
-After a conference call between Bill, Jerry and myself, it seems that the Yellowstone Science Learning Center model is something we should aspire to, at least in terms of our web-presence. It’s incredibly content-rich with material available for the general public and scientists alike.
-Discussions with park staff reinforced my belief that the national park experience isn’t limited to park boundaries and that digital media is one means of reaching out to non-traditional park visitors—be it the upcoming tech-saavy generation, urban populations or handicapped visitors. I now have digital templates for Glacier’s interactive e-hikes, have seen how their podcasts are produced and can now create 360 degree virtual reality panoramic movies.
-Lastly, I learned that hiking in grizzly bear country can be a little nerve-wracking. Fortunately, the views make up for having to carry bear spray and shouting loudly every few hundred feet.
As I reflected on this trip, driving across the flats of Eastern Washington, it was apparent that this was a fruitful learning experience. I witnessed not only very successful models of communication (Freeman Tilden Award!), but also staff that have the energy and creativity to lead the National Park Service. Knowing our own staff and resources in the Pacific Northwest, I believe that this too is something we can achieve. Thanks everyone for this opportunity!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Vital Sign Map
One of this week's biggest accomplishments for me was finalizing the coding for this interactive Flash map of our network's vital sign. The content is still being developed, but the structure is there (the hard part, for me at least). I felt kinda nerdy writing ActionScript, but also proud that I was able to teach it to myself. I'm not sure if this blog can show a flash web-feature, but I'll try and figure out some way of posting it.
Just for fun...
As I was packing up last night, my roommate passed this video along to me. This is me, glissading at Artist Point in Mt. Baker.
In August.
In August.
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