The Magic Planet StoryTeller software allows you, using skills that your team already has, to quickly and easily control
which images your audience watches and how they interact with them. It makes using the Magic Planet video globe a pleasure.
With the StoryTeller software, Magic Planet content is simple to add - just drag-and-drop.
There are no special skills required, and virtually no training is needed.
The Magic Planet StoryTeller software reads images and animations in the Internet standard map projection for global science imagery,
called the "cylindrical equidistant" projection, and transforms them in real-time for display on the Magic Planet.
You can immediately use the plethora of content already available on the Internet - or even connect to the Internet for real-time "live" updates.
The Magic Planet provides a true multi-media experience for maximum "showmanship" and maximum long-term impact of your information.
The StoryTeller coordinates the digital video globe with audio as well as with a second screen of more detailed information.
It can run either fully automated or fully interactive, which makes it ideal for briefing centers and
lobbies that aren't staffed with presenters all the time.
This flexibility makes the Magic Planet great both for stand alone and "facilitated" operation.
Whether you want to control a Magic Planet from your touch-screen podium(s), or from within your PowerPoint® presentation,
it's simple to do. Anyone with web skills such as HTML or Flash already knows how.
The product also includes a remote control to maximize your ability to interact with the audience.
And when you're done with StoryTeller, your entire presentation can be handed out for your audience to review later on.
Up-to-the-minute information can be crucial, so the StoryTeller is designed for real-time integration.
It can act like a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), so real-time visuals can be paused, rewound and reviewed in slow motion for maximum insight
into the situation. And with the StoryTeller Software Developer's Kit (SDK), the product can be directly integrated with third-party software
for true application-level interactivity. Of course, integrations are already available for industry leading applications.
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DynamicEarth - “Real-time weather” and other “live” Earth imagery
Magic Planet DynamicEarth enables you to display “real time” global weather and earthquake imagery on the Magic Planet.
In the future, you can expect DynamicEarth to include a wide variety of “near-real-time” imagery such as weather forecasts,
sea surface temperatures, etc.
DynamicEarth downloads high quality images from the Internet every three hours. In conjunction with StoryTeller, it’s like a weather Digital Video Recorder - you can see the most recent weather “live”, or pause and go back to see a replay of the last eight weeks at your choice of speed. With DynamicEarth, not only do you get a sure-fire attraction for your audience, but you get a tool that makes understanding Earth’s dynamic systems much more rapid and intuitive.
There is a modest annual fee for the service.
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NASA World Wind – Magic Planet Edition
If you’re not familiar with NASA World Wind, you can think of it as GoogleTM Earth for science.
Similar to Google Earth, it provides the ability to zoom in from a global view and see detailed high resolution satellite images.
Unlike Google Earth, World Wind was originally designed specifically to show animations, such as animations of NASA scientific data.
Global Imagination has extended NASA’s World Wind software to provide one of the most requested features for the Magic Planet:
the ability to “zoom in” on an area of the globe to provide detailed local information, whether it’s to see detailed high resolution images;
local weather forecasts; predictions of coastal changes due to sea level rise; animations of NASA scientific data;
or any other example from among hundreds of geographic data sets available over the Internet.
With a mouse, trackball, or other input device, you can draw a rectangle directly on the Magic Planet or select a “hot link”
and see the “zoomed in” results – either on a second screen or on the Magic Planet as an “inset window”.
You can interactively pan and zoom, as well as pop up menus to select from various datasets and animations.
World Wind – Magic Planet Edition (MPE) can directly load any of the hundreds of images and animations that are already available
for the Magic Planet. For example, you could watch an animation of real-time weather, while zooming in to see the local forecast;
watch an animation of the biosphere while zooming in to see NASA satellite images of coral bleaching for a particular reef;
or even see “hot links” of global resort locations on the Magic Planet, then zoom in to see aerial photos of a particular resort
while showing its own web site on a second screen for further details.
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City Explorer
City Explorer is an easy-to-use tool designed to build interactive applications for the Magic Planet.
People pay attention longest when they’re in control – when they’re interacting to see and hear your story in the order they want,
the way they want. Many Magic Planet customers already provide a touchscreen so visitors can control their Magic Planet exhibit or display.
City Explorer takes Magic Planet interactivity to the next level. With City Explorer,
it’s easy to build interactive Magic Planet applications where visitors interact directly with the Magic Planet using a
mouse, trackball or other input device.
City Explorer provides an intuitive GUI that lets you choose the images or animations you want to display on the Magic Planet.
With a few mouse clicks you can add links on the Magic Planet that let users: navigate through your story; play animations;
stream live media; and show photo or video tours.
For example, if you wanted to create an interactive story about how species are affected by global warming,
you might add a link that plays a global simulation of rising temperatures on the Magic Planet, as well as links located where affected
species might be found (e.g. a link in the arctic for polar bears in the arctic; one off the coast of South America for sea turtles etc.).
Clicking on one of the links on the Magic Planet might play a video there describing the impact on the species.
Using City Explorer is a simple way to build compelling, interactive applications for the Magic Planet.
Or if your application is in the hospitality industry, you might add links on the globe for each of your resort locations.
Clicking on the link might show more information about the resort, and even play a video walk through.
It’s a great way to keep people interested in what you have to say – and with City Explorer, it’s easy to do!
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ActiveEarth - Magic Planet Edition
ActiveEarth - Magic Planet Edition (MPE) is based upon the popular ActiveEarth world time clock application.
The Magic Planet Edition enables you to see a gorgeous day/night image on the Magic Planet that changes in real time.
You can also select from hundreds of cities and add live links on the Magic Planet. With a mouse, trackball, or other input device,
you can select the links directly on the Magic Planet and see a clock with the city’s local time. ActiveEarth –
MPE is a fun and educational application that’s sure to delight you and your guests.
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Magic Planet OnStage Software
OnStage is designed to enable interactive media and applications on the Magic Planet.
OnStage is “always live” – in other words, you can display interactive simulations, live streaming media, even games on the
Magic Planet in real time. OnStage works with existing, unmodified applications and video –
there’s no programming involved to make them appear on the sphere. Moreover, it’s completely interactive –
it has advanced cursor support so you can control your applications directly while watching nothing but your Magic Planet display!
OnStage works by taking a rectangular global display in any application window and “warping it” in real-time for display on the Magic Planet.
In addition, it can take a second window and map it as an “inset window” on the Magic Planet in real-time.
There’s no modification required to the applications.
Some examples include mapping: global displays from satellite simulation applications onto the Magic Planet in real time;
interactive Flash animations; Photoshop or AfterEffects animations under development; live streaming video from a web page or a movie player;
Google Earth and NASA WorldWind for “zooming in” to locations on the globe; and many others.
Another key feature of OnStage is that it can map the Windows cursor onto the Magic Planet, so users can run their applications
entirely by watching the Magic Planet, and without looking at the computer’s “flat display.”
For example, students could use a trackball looking at the Magic Planet to locate areas of high and low pressure on the globe,
and then watch the simulation results live (Global Imagination doesn’t supply the application, OnStage simply maps it to the Magic Planet.)
OnStage represents the future in terms of providing true Magic Planet interactivity with little or no incremental application development investment.
In the release, we’ve also included a range of imagery and animations covering a variety of topics.
The full catalog of the images and animations we’ve collected or developed, which includes hundreds, is now in the Magic Planet Community
(more on the Community below). As we go through the process of uploading the actual animations (as opposed to the catalog),
you may need to contact us to get particular ones we haven’t yet uploaded.
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