Break Out Group: Vendors

Chapter 2

Flows:

If task is to get visuals from one end to another, right now, vendors are needed.

Vendors are tying to bootstrap by working with visualizers.

Success of vendors is closely tied with having visuals available.

It would be good to smooth out the pipeline.

There are few planetariums working very closely with scientists.

In the future, will vendors really be in the loop? What requirement is there for a middleman? Museum planetariums have time to search out visuals and plan interpretation, schools don’t. A middle man (vendor) can help organize and interpret the visualizations, and assist with linking it to curriculum.

In many cases, the planetarium professionals know more science than the vendors do, and where to find visuals.

There is a need for visuals; also non-astronomy visuals and shows as well. Let’s broaden our horizons.

One company here can play in other markets, and finds the same flow of visuals working with non-astronomy.

Planetariums are changing their names in order to better market other kinds of visuals and shows.

There is some need for smaller, non-fulldome visuals in our field as well.

Some places have one or two 4x3 format projectors only.

One vendor here works with markets outside of planetaria also.

An eye toward moving the media to the right format – smaller or fulldome – is useful.

Teachers want lots of good visuals cheaply. They would prefer sequences or shows that are finished, narrated, easy to use and present, tied with curriculum.

More effort is needed toward great productions. Shows are not all there – as far as quality.

The field could use a real training ground for making shows.

Quick production time would be good for those who want to make their own shows and quickly.

Many planetarians make the case that they know the audience best – so they should make the shows.

They also like to be creative and have job security. We would like to help them do their jobs better.

Planetarium professionals like kits, like updating shows, like-newsworthy-ness.

The evolution in the arts is the desktop workstation. It is addictive and powerful. Same is happening with planetarium professionals. If we feed the granular elements into that, we can virally influence the field.

There is a place involving the audience in making the show in real time as a group experience.

People appreciate the creative opportunity and engagement.

Creative avenues need to be explored as well as the scientific.

Good educators who are facile can be a big asset to the community. Teacher or educator support may be needed for this.

Some companies do product training, some do educator and/or animation training. Need more of all.

Identifying who has the visuals and who has something cool is key to the pipeline. Visualization alliance meetings. A need is to systemize that, so you don’t have to rely on the rumor mill to find visuals, or digging through NASA to find the right group and visuals.

Establish useful points of contact. Approach this systemically.

Could Explorers Inst. Be able to help us? How to make a roadmap? Explorers is also a huge organization.

Does NASA need to change so that it is more reliable, in terms of how to find and get visuals? It is in the process of changing.

How do we connect with all the NASA staff who are excited about getting their work out?

NASA has a great brand, so it is still powerful to use NASA visuals, name and credit.

Trying to find context for all the NASA visuals is tricky.

The context helps make the show meaningful.

Barriers:

Knowing who to call.

Education to vendors on what we are allowed to use (from public domain).

Vendor communication/multi formats (not implying commercial format, but the form of the data in the more general sense), that will make it more useful.

Trying to find context for all the NASA visuals is tricky.

A context helps make the show meaningful – weaving it all into a story. Is this a good role for vendors?

Identifying who has the visuals and who has something cool is key to the pipeline. There is a need to systemize that, so you don’t have to rely on the rumor mill to find visuals, or digging through NASA to find the right group and visuals.

We may need assistance in interpreting visuals so we can better present them to end-users and find the right use for them in shows.

Data from spacecraft can be odd-shaped and not as easy to work with.