Game technology stores virtual heritage (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Game technology stores virtual heritage

May 1, 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/games/game-technology-stores-virtual-heritage/2007/04/30/1177788053993.html#

An indigenous virtual world has many uses, writes Beverley Head.

MINING companies and property holders wrestling with native title
requirements to document traditional cultural heritage could benefit from a
novel application of computer game technology.

A computer simulation that allows users to explore Sydney Cove prior to
white settlement in 1788 provides a glimpse of the sorts of applications
that mining companies could develop, its creators say.

Called Virtual Warrane, the simulation is on display at Sydney's Customs
House until May 6. Virtual Warrane is part of a broader initiative to
capture indigenous knowledge on computer systems, which can then be used to
protect, preserve and promote Aboriginal knowledge.

Developed by indigenous multimedia company Cyberdreaming in association with
the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design, Virtual Warrane is "proving the
concept that we can build these virtual worlds quickly and effectively",
says Jeff Jones, executive director of the CRC.

Built using a modified version of GarageGames' Torque Game Engine and the
Digital Songlines toolkit, Professor Jones said the CRC was currently
exploring commercialisation options having invested a "couple of million
dollars" on projects over the last couple of years. For example, versions
of the Virtual Warrane game could be developed for education or tourism
applications, and the CRC's Digital Songlines toolkit developed to help
preserve and promote indigenous culture in online environments could also
be commercialised.

One application envisaged for the toolkit is to be used to capture knowledge
about lands used for farming or mining, and aid the native title negotiation
process between commercial enterprises and traditional owners.

The CRC is already working with one property developer to explore how such
systems could be used to fulfil native title obligations. Professor Jones
said the CRC planned to this year explain to mining companies and property
holders how to harness computer game technology to create virtual
environments which act as repositories of Aboriginal knowledge. While such
systems would meet companies' obligations to document the cultural heritage
values of their sites, they would also help make employee heritage induction
programs more effective than text-based alternatives, said Professor Jones.

Brett Leavy, the chief executive of Cyberdreaming, and lead developer on
Virtual Warrane, said the ultimate goal of the program was to generate a
"virtual heritage system for recording Aboriginal knowledge". Mr Leavy, a
Kooma man, said that the technology had been demonstrated to many
Aboriginal communities already. "They see the medium and they get it. There
is no problem from my mob," he said.

The systems being developed only captured public domain knowledge and not
secret or sacred Aboriginal knowledge.

Andrew Buchanan, a partner with Allens Arthur Robinson, and native title
expert said that under native title legislation mining companies were
obliged to negotiate with the local land council to identify what heritage
needed to be preserved before mining could commence. Often as part of the
negotiations companies provide cultural heritage awareness programs for
employees. He believed computer-based tools that could capture and
disseminate indigenous knowledge would "probably be very useful in
negotiations with the native title owners".

At this stage much of the development being carried out using the Digital
Songlines toolkit is exploratory. "Imagine a Google Earth interface that
lets you go down and look at Aboriginal rock art in the region, or bush
foods or bush medicine in the area," said Mr Leavy.

Initially he expects that the systems will be used to increase the
understanding and spread of knowledge in Aboriginal communities themselves;
"When I'm walking country with my grandfather and he's telling me something
it can trigger an audio file."

In the longer term the knowledge can be shared with other communities.
Virtual worlds could be integrated with VoIP communication in order to
generate "community exchanges".

According to Professor Jones, "this is about a knowledge-based experience in
a 3D world," and while the current focus is on capturing and sharing
indigenous knowledge, he foresees the eventual creation of a Virtual
Australia knowledge base.

LINKS

+ www.interactiondesign.com.au

+ www.virualwarrane.com.au

+ www.cyberdreaming.com.au