No. The ARCO system is a tool supporting traditional expositions and not replacing it. ARCO extends the communication channel with visitors by the use of advanced technology and various media: Internet, multimedia kiosks, virtual and augmented reality, etc.
The role of the ARCO system is to enrich traditional museums, not to replace them.
No. Even small museums may use ARCO for their digital archives and virtual expositions. Moreover, cultural objects collected by small museums - often located far from famous tourist routes - with the use of ARCO may be presented in virtual spaces or may be a subject of exchange between museums around the world.
Small museums that do not wish to spend their valuable resources for hardware necessary for running ARCO system, may use ARCO Center hosting services or any other external computing provider. ARCO Center supports museums also in the digitization efforts.
It depends. ARCO content management system and exhibition servers can run on hardware provided by external providers. This is sufficient for building rich multimedia exhibitions available on the web.
If a museum plans to use ARCO internally inside the museum, computers for visitors are necessary. These may be either multimedia kiosk systems equipped with touch screens or typical PC computers.
Running the augmented reality exhibitions requires a camera - in the simplest case a webcam is sufficient.
For everyday maintenance and management of the ARCO system (e.g. adding cultural objects, managing virtual expositions) no special IT expertise is required. The ARCO system has been specifically designed for use by people with little computer expertise.
Creation of new visualization templates requires expertise in X-VRML language and to this end programming skills are highly desirable. However, such templates may be prepared by a graphic designer cooperating with ARCO Center staff.
Also, administration of the ARCO system should be performed by experienced IT staff. If there is no such person in the museum, administration may be outsourced.
Presentation template is an empty space or room that can be filled with digital representations cultural objects in the process of building a virtual exhibition. Elements such as room decoration and object stands are designed by a template creator, while exposition curator decides which objects should be presented in that room. It should be noted that while designing the room, a template creator may leave many editable elements, e.g. color of walls, icons, decoration elements - all of them may be later altered by an exposition curator by the use of a set of parameters.
The license price of the ARCO system depends on a number and type of requested modules. There are significant reductions for groups of museums purchasing the system together. The final price may be also affected by additional services included: hot-line, trainings, etc.
If you are interested in detailed price list, please contact our office.
