Summary.
- ATLAS (Claire):
- Installed and paid a full system that is up and running
- Would like to keep an ATLAS-specific channel, including branding and different entry-points for visitors (e.g. specific email)
- Can currently accommodate max 8 visits per month
- System is not overused and could be shared with others
- Cohabitation between virtual visits and onsite visits; bottleneck is ATLAS visit point which is used for both
- Need to address double booking issues as there is no crosstalk between CERN booking system and ATLAS Secretariat
- Propose to train one person from the Visit Service and integrate in their system
- Would like to integrate multiple sites in a visit (e.g. Globe, fresco, others)
- ATLAS would be interested to have mobile cameras like CMS has but for external views (Globe, fresco)
- Recordings of visits have variable quality, depending on the connection, the effort of post-production, and also on the choice of technology (ATLAS uses Vidyo)
- CMS (Achille):
- Shares slots with CERN Visit Service: CMS has its own booking system with Visit Service being made aware of extra slots.
- Would like to keep this setup as Virtual Visits have to be coordinated with Technical Coordination and would secure entry-point for CMS-linked visits (i.e. requested by CMS researchers/users)
- Service cavern is accessible at all times which is a great plus, and therefore less clashes with normal visits
- Equipment is functional but a "bricolage", so more standardisation would be welcome
- CMS also use Vidyo
- Multiple cameras (1 fixed, 1 mobile), therefore more Manpower needed, average 4 persons (2 per camera, includes 2 guides - one fixed, 1 roving)
- Due to manpower requirements, CMS requires audience to be at least 50 people.
- 6 visits per month on average
- ALICE (Despina)
- ALICE has made ad hoc virtual visits for years with laptops and iPads from the cavern when possible or from Control Room
- Dozens of visits over the past years. Difficult to have precise stats, as not all requests reach outreach group. Rough estimate of 30-50 visits/year
- Would appreciate support of CERN for booking, currently relies fully on secretariat. Would like to be part of a CERN-wide setup, of a CERN programme
- ALICE is looking to develop Virtual Visits. When visitor centre is ready (in approx. one month), it will be a great help.
- Experience during European Researcher Night with material lent by IT was very positive
- The cost of the equipment (40k CHF) is a real obstacle. This includes webcams in the cavern.
- There are privacy issues with filming with webcams.
- LHCb (Antonis)
- Have a few Virtual Visit per year, on and ad-hoc basis
- Used significantly for the Masterclass sessions; these include a one-hour virtual visit
- LHCb is quite accessible (near Velo etc) and when LHCb is not accessible they can go to Delphi underground but currently not considering a 2 guides option.
- Standard Virtual Visit would start in the new control room
- Recently equipped recently (2 cameras, predefined positions, etc). There are technical issues which frequently require support (no sound etc)
- Would like to expand, are interested in a central booking system and becoming part of CERN programme
- Open to have external guides (i.e. CERN guides, not necessarily LHCb)
- Operational requirements (from Steve's presentation)
- Important to support audiences which cannot come to CERN, especially through the network of collaborators of the collaborations
- Main issues with current virtual visit setup are operational, in particular technical operations.
- There is much interest from everyone in standardising operations part. This requires IT expertise.
- IT preference (as explained by Thomas) is to go with remotely operable systems, as is current setup with videoconferencing across CERN.
- There is interest in recording and editing some content, with different views on whether it should be all content, selected content and how it could be used.
- Bulgaria's experience (Teodora)
- Target audience: 12+, students, teachers, interested in science
- Venues with 50+ people
- 2000+ participants, 22 locations, 37 schools in 3 years
- Use of personal equipment (smartphones)
- Multiple locations: SM18, CMS, CCC, Ideasquare
- Relies strongly on volunteers
- Virtual rooms/Guides on remote sites for Q&A allowing many schools to participate to same event and still have a chance to ask questions.
- Public webcast is publicised via dedicated website and social media, to reach as wide an audience as possible
- Videos of the virtual visits are posted on YouTube. One of the videos has 2000+ views (posted in 2015)
- Importance of dynamic visits (avoid single person talking for too long, different sites, etc)
- CERN Virtual Visits (François)
- Visit Service is developing two types of virtual visits: guided virtual visits (subject of this meeting) and self-service virtual visits (based on virtual reality and 360 degree video technology)
- Several scripts for 360 degree videos being prepared, to include LHC experiments, data centre, CCC, etc
- Could complement guided virtual visits (e.g. when visits to caverns not possible)
- Have identified following limitations in guided virtual visits: dealing with requests (separate booking systems), resources (people, time), trained guides, languages offered.
- Proposal is to work on: integrate Guided Virtual Tours in standard offer; train current guides to help with these visits; integrate request in single booking system; develop new sites for virtual tour sites (Data Centre, etc)
- Proposal to set up 4 working groups (Ana)
- 1. Booking System (lead by François). Some of the issues to address are (not an exhaustive list):
- Integration/Crosstalk between Visit Service booking system and those of the experiments (namely ATLAS and CMS)
- Entry points for visitors, to make clear which experiment is hosting the visit. Ties into "branding"
- Try to integrate requests from and visits initiated by experiments communities, to ensure data is collected for statistics, evaluation, etc
- 2. Technical requirements (lead by Thomas). Some of the issues to address are (not an exhaustive list):
- Remotely-operated systems, with support from IT when problems arise
- Or dedicated technical support.
- 3. Guide's training and Format of the visits (Lead by Dominique)
- 4. Recording and Evaluation (lead by Ana). Some of the issues to address are (not an exhaustive list):
- Options: bulk recording of all visits or selected recording
- Make all recording available on CDS (after editing. Resources needed) or upon request (e.g. to teachers wanting to review the visit; or to guides wanting to include them in CV)
- Use recording for guide's training: case studies
- Evaluation: by visitors, by guides.
- Next steps:
- Participants in the meeting are asked to say which working group(s) they would like to take part in or nominate someone for the group
- Working groups meet to discuss and move forward on specific topics
- New meeting soon, to bring topics together and decide next steps.
There are minutes attached to this event.
Show them.