Completed project

Gaia Vesterålen

Client
Research Council of Norway

Time period
30.05.2021 - 01.08.2024

Researchers
Karin Marie Antonsen
Researcher II

Partners
SINTEF Digital
WEIGHT Consulting
Deadline Media

Gaia Vesterålen is a research and technology initiative that aims to create more environmentally friendly and sustainable local communities.

Museums should not only preserve the past - they are also an actor in the present with the potential to contribute to social change. The Gaia Vesterålen (GV) project aims to contribute to the sustainable development of local communities by combining existing and new content in museums using groundbreaking technological solutions. International agreements and frameworks such as the UN Paris Agreement on greenhouse gas emissions, the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, the EU Green Deal and not least the UN Sustainable Development Goals emphasize the importance of local ownership and initiative. With the UN Sustainable Development Goals 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17 as a starting point for the development and implementation of an environmental contract for local actors, we want to a) increase understanding, interest and commitment to environmental issues and b) increase interest in museums.

GV will be developed at Lofotr Næringsdrift AS, Sortland Museum (SM), where they have recently been actively testing various product segments for development purposes. With simple steps and a focus on sustainable development, SM increased visitor numbers by over 300%. Research also shows that environmental awareness and green products are important for ever new groups, including tourists. GV will be an experience-based product that will have its home port in Vesterålen, as well as several traveling copies. In this, a physical 3D model of Vesterålen will be used where information will be projected (projection mapping) in combination with AR and VR experiences, as well as a history-collecting unit. As an exhibition experience, the model will be a game changer in a museum context. The project owner is Lofotr Næringsdrift, Sortland Museum department. Corporate partners are Deadline Media and Vesterålen IKT. Research partners are Nordland Research Institute and SINTEF Digital.