OZEANEUM Stralsund wins International Environmental Award

Congratulations to our projectpartner OZEANEUM in Stralsund, who wins the International Environmental Award, which is awarded since 1988 by the Swedisch Hanseatic City of Kalmar. This year the Baltic Sea was in focus of the award, focussing on projects, companies and institutions of all Hanseatic Cities that are dedicated to the environment around the Baltic Sea. The exhibition, numerous aquaria and especially the very varied educational programmes about the Baltic Sea convinced the jury to send the award to Stralsund's OZEANEUM. It is the first time after 20 years that the award is given to a German institution.

Photo: Johannes-Maria Schlorke / OZEANEUM Stralsund

International Baltic Day in Museum of the World Ocean

End of March, the International Baltic Day was celebrated in the Museum of the World Ocean in Kaliningrad. Kids took part in the quiz devoted to the Baltic Sea. Project team member, Mr. Strjuk made a short speech presenting the project BalticMuseums 2.0 and told that the photo competition is coming soon and gave leaflets to all the participants of the quiz.

BalticMuseums at international conference in Warnemünde

The conference "Building A Baltic Sea Tourism Region" that takes place in Rostock-Warnemünde on May 3-4, 2012 provided the chance for the BalticMuseums project to present information material to tourism experts from all over the Baltic Sea region. The conference is organized in a joint approach by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), represented by the Federal Foreign Office as its current chair, and the State Chancellery of the Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in its role as Coordinator of Priority Area Tourism in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR).
Mr. Erwin Sellering, Minister-President of the Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ms. Cornelia Pieper, Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office and Mr. Pedro Ortún Silván, Director for Tourism, CSR, Consumer Goods and International Regulatory Agreement , European Commission welcomed the guests, followed by workshops dedicated to specific topics like cruise tourism and cooperation in the triangle Kaliningrad, Lithuania and Poland.

BalticMuseums in South Baltic Brochure

End of 2011 the German contact point in Rostock issued a brochure presenting projects in the South Baltic region - BalticMuseums 2.0 being one of them. It provides and overview of the South Baltic Programme has reached since 2008. Projects of very different content and with a broad range of partners have been accepted for cofinancing by the European Union.
The brochure (in German) is now available for download.
The contact points of the South Baltic Programme are the first address for project partners or potential project applicants to receive information and support. Find here the contact point in your country.

Fruitful advisory board meeting in Stralsund

On 17 April, the German Advisory Board met in Stralsund to discuss latest project developments. Professor Michael Klotz, Susanne Marx and project manager Ingolf Sulk presented sections of the current work within both projects "BalticMuseums 2.0" and its' follow-up "BalticMuseums 2.0 Plus".
The demonstration of the recently developed panorama tours, allowing a virtual visit of the museums, was rewarded with applause. Additionally the mobile version of the online information platform www.balticmuseums.net and the eManual to manage the platform were presented. The progress for implementing the eGuides was explained in several steps using the example of the Lithuanian Sea Museum. Both technical requirements and solutions were addressed, but also the methodology to develop the Point-of-Interests for an eGuide-tour and practical considerations regarding the handling. The tourism experts of the advisory board gave a very positive feedback to the project team. Together several new ideas for cooperation were developed during the subsequent discussion. We would like to thank our advisory board members, Andrea Nagel, Head of Müritzeum, Johannes Volkmar, International Marketing at Tourismusverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Christin Hannemann, Head of Tourismusverband Mecklenburgische Schweiz and Jeaninne Wolle, Marketing at Tourismuszentrale Stralsund, for their participation and their valuable feedback.

Partners present joint exhibition in Kaliningrad

On April 14 a photo exhibition “Herring – Silver of the Sea” is opened in the “Cachalot” pavilion in the Museum of the World Ocean (MWO), Kaliningrad. The exhibition was specially prepared by colleagues from the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund for the annual public holiday “Herring Day” celebrated at the MWO.
The most democratic fish inhabit the oceans and seas, the rivers and lakes. People like and honour it worldwide. The photographs from Stralsund museum’s archives add to the row of the exhibitions devoted to herring fishing in various European countries and timed to the public holiday. This time the photographs of the 1960-80s show fishermen from GDR and how they used to fish, pull nets out of water, process fish and put it into boxes in the ports of Rugen.
The exhibition was created in the framework of the project “BalticMuseums2.0” involving the consortium of six partners from Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Russia (http://www.balticmuseums.net).

(Author: Museum of the World Ocean)

Mobile Website for Museums released

From now on mobile internet users can access the BalticMuseums website (www.balticmuseums.net) with a tailor-made mobile version. When entering the page, the system recognizes the mobile phone or smartphone appliance and automatically displays the special mobile look.
The developing team at the University of Szczecin especially focussed on easy and finger-friendly navigation. All six languages are available. Latest statistics proofed that mobile internet access will surpass pc access to websites in the nearest future. That's why the project team had decided to develop this additional tool for that target group.

BalticMuseums Project team in Lithuania

Palanga, a coastal city in Lithuania, currently hosts the project meeting of BalticMuseums 2.0 Plus. The team meets in this location, 25 km from Klaipeda, to discuss current project developments and work on current activities.
The original project BalticMuseums 2.0 which officially ends on 31 March will be finalised during the meeting. After more than three years of cooperation the project partners look back on new developed products like the online platform, a kids website and eGuide test systems but also on great experiences with the international team. All focus is now put on the second project, to implement eGuide systems in the partner museums. The panorama galleries and other joint promotional activities will also be worked on during the meeting.

BalticMuseums presented as best practice in Berlin

On 10 January the Conference "Best practices - Successful stories" took place in Berlin. The BalticMuseums team was very happy to be invited as one of the speakers. The Technology Centre Vorpommern had organised the conference presenting projects from different funding programmes: Baltic Sea Region Programme, South Baltic Programme and Central European Programme as part of the JOSEFIN project. The audience from various projects and organisations was enthusiastic about the results of the BalticMuseums 2.0 project. Especially the kids section and the online platform got a lot of attention. Many interesting contacts could be made and the conference was a very rare chance to gather experiences across different funding programmes. Thus the presented projects were very different in size of budget and number of partners, however many participants found links in regard to the content worked on.

Book issued including article about BalticMuseums

Stralsund University of Applied Sciences recently released a book celebrating its 20th anniversary. Articles demonstrate the development of the university in the last two decades. As the largest research project of the university, the BalticMuseums project is presented on three pages.

BalticMuseums presented in South Baltic Newsletter

The South Baltic Programme launched the new issue of its Newsletter "Compass" on October 17. One page is dedicated to the BalticMuseums 2.0 project, presenting the release of the kids section of the online information platform. www.kids.balticmuseums.net Furthermore, details for the upcoming South Baltic Annual Conference end of November in Schwerin, Germany are presented as well. Find a copy of the newsletter here... (Article about BalticMuseums: page 8)

Project results of great interest for international tourism specialists

On Sept 15, Prof. Dr. Michael Klotz presented the results from the project BalticMuseums 2.0 at the international tourism workshop "Common Future for Baltic Tourism II Seminar" in Finland. In Herrankukkaro in the city of Naantali, tourism organizations and other touristic players gathered to discuss several aspects of future tourism. In his presentation "BalticMuseums - eGuides in Tourism Innovation", Prof. Klotz showed the project outcomes that were of great interest to the audience. The kids section of the joint international online platform fascinated as much as the online ticketing system with print-at-home-functionality and the test results for different eGuide-systems. In focus of the workshop was the transfer of the projects insights to eGuides to rural areas. Both from a technical point of view but also from an organizational perspective like project management and financing, detailed research results were presented and underlined with practical examples. The more than 50 participating tourism specialists confirmed the great potential of eGuides and appreciated this exchange of experiences. The event was organized by several Finish and European organizations and part of the Flagship Project 12.7 of the European Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, Priority Area Tourism.

Neues AP zu Museums-Apps

Multimediale Informations- und Führungssysteme in Kultur und Freizeit spielen eine zunehmend wichtige Rolle für Besucher von Sehenswürdigkeiten und Ausstellungen. Derartige Systeme können als Weiterentwicklung von herkömmlichen Audioguides ihre Nutzer bei der Orientierung im Ausstellungsraum oder -gelände und bei der Information zu den Exponaten oder Objekten unterstützen. Ein spezielles Segment hat sich in letzter Zeit im Bereich der Applikationen („Apps“), die auf Smartphones benutzt werden können, entwickelt. Vor diesem Hintergrund soll an dieser Stelle die aktuelle Situation bei Museums-Apps beleuchtet werden (Stand: 30. April 2011). Deutschsprachige Museums-Apps bilden den Anfang, um einen Überblick in Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz zu bekommen.

In diesem Arbeitspapier stehen vor allem die Funktionalität und die Bedienbarkeit der Anwendungen im Vordergrund.

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German Advisory Board met in Stralsund

The second advisory board meeting was held in Stralsund 14 Feb 2011. Professor Klotz presented the progress of the project during the last year. But not only project activities were in focus but also gained insights and trends in eGuide applications. The importance of considering longterm maintenance costs for an eGuide system next to initial investments was stressed by the project leader. Smartphones, Social Media, Location Based Services and developments in Augmented Reality techniques offer great opportunities for electronic guides in museums, for education, exhibition and commercial purposes.

Steffen Ritschel, project manager for BalticMuseums 2.0, explained the new development of the fish identifier, an online tool to enable non-specialists to identify species. The idea and the content was developed by Dr. Timo Moritz (German Oceanographic Museum). The technical realization was done by the Stralsund Information Management Team (SIMAT). The systematic of the database behind this application can be easily adapted to other areas like plants or birds. "This tool as great potential for the use in websites, in eGuides or directly in the exposition", confirms Thomas Kohler, manager of the Müritzeum and advisory board member. Furthermore Professor Klotz reported on the availability of the Online Information Platform in Chinese, emphasizing the intention to extend this co-operation with the University of Shanghai. Two chinese exchange students have helped the project with this extended translation work. China has since then advanced to the second largest origin of visitors of the project website.

Christina Wegner, scientific worker in the project, presented the status of the eGuide prototype. The speciality is the combination of indoor and outdoor applications by combining dynamic (GPS) and static (RFID) navigation. Next to technical considerations and tests of devices a focus was set on the development of content. Comparative research was conducted to compare text-to-speech, inhouse sound solutions and professional speakers. Also potential commercial solutions to integrate local companies like cafés were tested. "System software needs to be ready for a long-term use", is the advice of Carsten Pescht, Online Marketing Manager at the Tourism Association Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He adds that research should aim at flexible solutions that work with different systems.

The advisory board members will accompany the new project BalticMuseums 2.0 Plus as well.

Call for Paper: Jahrestagung AK Freizeit- und Tourismusgeographie 2011

Diese findet am 27. und 28. Mai findet in Stralsund unter dem Thema "Zukunftsfähiger Tourismus - Innovation und Kooperation" statt. Mit der Tagung soll die Möglichkeit gegeben werden, neue technische Entwicklungen und Produke, sowie darauf angepasste Geschäftsmodelle und Managementkonzepte vorzustellen und zu diskutieren. Aus den eingegangenen Vorschlägen zum Leitthema wurden sieben Sessions erstellt. Prof. Dr. Michael Klotz wird eine Session zum Thema "Einsatz von eGuides im Tourismus" leiten. Zusätzlich können Interessierte bis zum 15. März 2011 durch Vortragsanmeldungen zum Gelingen der Veranstaltung beitragen. Weitere Informationen zu allem Sessions sind im "Call for Papers" zu finden. Download

Foto: Prof. Dr. Michael Klotz zeigt Landrat Ralf Drescher den eGuide

Vortrag zum Leader Workshop der LAG "Nordvorpommern" verfügbar

Am 05. und 06. November fand im Ostseehotel Dierhagen der Leader Workshop der LAG "Nordvorpommern" statt. Während Prof. Dr. Michael Klotz einen Vortrag zum Thema "Nutzung von eGuides im ländlichen Raum" hielt, präsentierte das SIMAT Team in einer Live Vorführung aktuelle Arbeitsergebnisse rund um das Thema eGuides. Die Teilnehmer hatten u.a. die Möglichkeit, mit einem eGuide einen Teil des Hotels zu erkunden. Download Vortrag

Eine Auswahl an Bildern ist in der Galerie zu finden.

eGuide demo tour in Lithuania great success

SIMAT und Tourismuszentrale Stralsund kooperieren

Am Mittwoch, den 17.03.2010, kamen Prof. Dr. Michael Klotz als Leiter des „Stralsund Information Management Team“ (SIMAT) an der Fachhochschule Stralsund und der Betriebsleiter der Tourismuszentrale der Hansestadt Stralsund, Herr André Kretzschmar, darin überein, auf dem Gebiet der elektronischen Führer, der so genannten eGuides, zusammenzuarbeiten und diese auf die besonderen Anforderungen des Städtetourismus auszurichten.

Elektronische Geräte werden im Städtetourismus den Megatrend der Individualisierung begleiten. In Stralsund wird diese Entwicklung aktiv vorangetrieben. Die durch das SIMAT entwickelten eGuides ermöglichen durch ortsabhängige Informationsbereitstellung standortbezogene Dienste (Location Based Services) und unterstützen als multimediale Besucherleitsysteme die individuelle Orientierung. Mehr...

Third BalticMuseums Newsletter available

As a regular information for all friends of the BalticMuseums 2.0 project, the team releases the third newsletter.

The topics in this issue are:
- Museum establish online ticketing solution: project meeting in Kaliningrad
- Multi-media guidance systems
- Skip the line - use an online or mobile ticket

- Advisory Board provides valueable input

- Partner Presentation: Museum of the World Ocean, Kaliningrad

You can also register for it by sending an Email to our information officer at Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist gegen Spambots geschützt! JavaScript muss aktiviert werden, damit sie angezeigt werden kann.

Second BalticMuseums Newsletter available

First BalticMuseums Newsletter available

Projekt: Baltic-Museums2.0

In the BalticMuseums 2.0 project the consortium of six partners from Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Russia will jointly develop innovative technical information and communication tools for oceanographic museums.

The project duration is projected being three years starting in October 2008. The European co-financing of almost a million Euro was granted in July 2008. mehr...