The Gaia System: A Tabletop Projection Mapping System for Raising Environmental Awareness in Islands and Coastal Areas

Abstract

Islands and coastal areas, including those in the Nordic region, are considered highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Raising environmental awareness is a crucial first step towards protecting the ecosystem and preventing environmental deterioration. In this work-in-progress paper, the first version of the Gaia System is presented, and its use for raising environmental awareness is described. The Gaia System is a tabletop projection mapping system installed at the Sortland Museum in the Vesterålen district, Norway. The system creates a digital twin of the area and enables the user to interact with and explore time (i.e. navigate to the past, the present and the future of the visualised area). The Gaia System targets residents, tourists and stakeholders of the Vesterålen district as its users, aiming to contribute to the sustainable development of the local community through establishing new behaviour patterns among users and/or being used in decision-making processes. The Gaia System prototype was informally evaluated during a demonstration event, when positive feedback was received. However, several adjustments and additions will be made in the next version.