Speaker
Description
The installation of Virtual Visit services by the LHC collaborations began shortly after the first high energy collisions were provided by the CERN accelerator in 2010. The experiments: ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, and ALICE have all joined in this popular and effective method to bring the excitement of scientific exploration and discovery into classrooms and other public venues around the world. Their programmes, which use a combination of video conference, webcast, and video recording to communicate with remote audiences have already reached tens of thousands of viewers, and the demand only continues to grow. Other venues, such as the CERN Control Centre, are also considering similar permanent installations.
We present a summary of the development of the various systems in use around CERN today, including the technology deployed and a variety of use cases. We then lay down the arguments for the creation of a CERN-wide service that would support these programmes in a more coherent and effective manner. Potential services include a central booking system and operational management similar to what is currently provided for the common CERN video conference facilities. Key technological choices would provide additional functionality that could support communication and outreach programmes based on popular tools including (but not limited to) Skype, Google Hangouts, and Periscope. Successful implementation of the project, which relies on close partnership between the experiments, CERN IT CDA, and CERN IR ECO, has the potential to reach an even larger, global audience, more effectively than ever before.
| Primary Keyword (Mandatory) | Outreach |
|---|---|
| Secondary Keyword (Optional) | Collaborative tools |
