About the Pilot CD-ROM

George and Bert.
Click on image for more information.

There are two target audiences:
1) The General Public
2) School Children

The Main Menu consists of six options:
1) Wessex Waterway Network
2) English Canals
3) Community Forest
4) Activities for the Public
5) Schools’ Projects
6) Links

In particular, the important aspects of this CD-ROM are:
· In the Wessex Waterway Network Section, we have tried to show how the different waterways are dependent on each other. One way we have done this is to create a timeline, which shows key events in the history of each of the member canals. More detailed information is also presented on the different waterways of the Network.

· In the Schools’ Projects Section, we have given the student some information about the canals when they were working waterways (Victorian age). The information is presented mainly as sound-slide presentations. However, we have developed an interactive animation “George & Bert” which causes the student to think about why narrowboats have been replaced by faster transport for the movement of goods. We have also developed an interactive 3-D model of a boatman’s cabin to help illustrate life on a narrowboat. There are 38 questions for students; information to answer the questions is contained within the program. The questions range from a simple word identification exercise to complex essay questions. Students can switch quickly between the question and the information needed to answer the question.

Virtual Reality Model of cabin.
Click on the cabin to see an enlarged image.

The interactive 3-D model of the boatman’s cabin has been developed to allow users to move around a narrowboat cabin. This coupled with descriptions by boat people is a very powerful way to explain what life on board a boat was like.

The pilot CD-ROM has been founded by a grant from:
The Great Western Community Forest,

And internal funding from: Interactive Presentations Limited