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From Shanghai to Ness - Microsoft Surface Exhibit Returns Home

Published: 2nd October 2011 11:21

Ness Botanic Gardens were excited to be part of the City of Liverpool's exhibit at World Expo in Shanghai during 2010.

Paul Cook and Kevin Reid with the Microsoft Surface Device at Ness GardensNess Curator, Paul Cook, and Director, Kevin
Reid, demonstrate how the device works.

Their exhibit at that event, a Microsoft Surface device that encourages interactive learning, has now returned to the Gardens, near Neston, where it was welcomed last week at a reception attended by local dignitaries and residents.  The device appears, in effect, to be an interactive 'coffee table' - visitors will be encouraged to sit around it and play with and learn from images and text that have been uploaded onto it.

Kevin Reid, Director of Ness Gardens, explained: "We have a mission here at Ness, to attract the current and next generation to learn about the importance of plants and horticultural issues. 

"A couple of years ago one of our volunteers, Deborah Spearing, introduced me to the Microsoft Surface Technology and we realised it would enable us, as a learning institution, to educate visitors in a new and exciting way.

"The University of Liverpool decided it would be a good project to take to Shanghai. The device itself was purchased in the US, built in Germany, shipped to Liverpool and then on to China.  Information from the Ness archives was uploaded and electronically transferred to Australia, where it was compiled and formatted and sent back to Reading.  Deborah and I went there to learn how to operate the device and then I followed it out to Shanghai and uploaded the content in situ.

"It is estimated that over a million people visited the Liverpool stand at the Expo, and that upwards of 10,000 hands touched our device in the course of the event.

"We are proud to have been part of taking Cheshire Gardens of Distinction global, and proud that we had such a great team who saw the opportunity and acted so fast and so well to bring it to a reality."

The device is now available in the Visitor Centre, and people are encouraged to go along and see it in action.  It offers a fascinating view into the work of Ness and includes games to encourage young people to take an interest.

Future developments are already underway, including installing a virtual tour of the garden that can be picked up via bluetooth just by placing a smart phone on the 'table.'

Present at the welcoming reception this week were a number of special guests, including the Mayor of Chester, Cllr Eleanor Johnson; The Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, David Briggs, and Mayor of Neston, Cllr Martin Barker.  They were joined by local residents as well as staff and friends of Ness Gardens.

All photographs are © Linda Pelling.

Deborah Spearing, Kevin Reid and Chair of the Friends of Ness Gardens, Jon Saunders.

Microsoft Surface Exhibit Returns to Ness Gardens

Microsoft Surface Exhibit Returns to Ness Gardens

Microsoft Surface Exhibit Returns to Ness Gardens

Microsoft Surface Exhibit Returns to Ness Gardens

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