Virtual Tour of a Heritage Village
We created a virtual tour to make a heritage village accessible to individuals with limited mobility.
The Goal
Huble Homestead is located just north of Prince George, BC, and is a historic village that is open to the public throughout the warmer months of the year. A series of restored buildings filled with information and artifacts, Huble Homestead has a lot to offer and gives a view into the life of the period. Unfortunately, much of the site has limited accessibility for individuals with limited mobility due to stairs in some buildings and uneven ground on the river path. In the past, the homestead had a, 'accessibility binder' full of images and information that visitors could use to get a glimpse of the areas they could not reach.
Our mission with the project was to create an immersive experience of the entire property that could be loaded onto a tablet for visitors to use, as well as a second version that could be posted online for people to view from home.
The Process
We captured a wide range of images while on site at Huble, including drone photos and 360 images, 360 VR photos, and still photos of key artifacts for use in popups. 2 virtual tours were developed using the media - an online version that gives the user a comprehensive overview of the site, and a simplified version to be loaded onto a tablet. We even integrated a 'Guided Tour' mode, that allows the viewer to follow a set path through the heritage site rather than roaming in a self directed fashion (click 'Start Guided Tour' in the online version to try it for yourself).
Viscape 360 procured a Lenovo tablet and tablet case for the accessibility tour that would be used on site, loaded the experience directly onto it so it could be used offline (there is no internet at the site), and shipped the whole package to the heritage society so they could simply turn it on and start using it.
The Result
Here's what Krystal Leason, the Executive Director of Huble Homestead/Giscome Portage Heritage Society, had to say about the project:
"Viscape 360 did a great job of creating a virtual tour of Huble Homestead, making our somewhat remote historic site accessible to online visitors through our website, and some of our difficult-to-access exhibits explorable on a tablet by in-person guests during their visits. Phoenix is very personable and easy to work with remotely, and he and Jadzia (and Luna!) were delights to host on site for the production day. The photography is excellent, and we are extremely pleased with the final tour Viscape produced for us."
