Factors for Visitor Centre Design Effectiveness

Factors for Visitor Centre Design Effectiveness An investigation and analysis of visitor centres and their use with regard to interpretation. Visitor centres are an important component of attractions or sites. Indeed, their purpose is manifold, ranging from information referencing to travel advisement. Architectural design is also a distinguishing visitor centre feature. Designs range from the traditional to the nuance. Discussed here is a comparative visitor centre analysis based on three general themes: i) General Purposes, ii) Design and iii) Information: A How to Guide. General Purposes The primary role of a visitor centre is to convey information regarding a specific or grouped set of attractions within a defined geographical area to a continual visitor stream. In this sense, visitor centres are designed to act as reference guides both through directions and information sourcing to those interested in a particular site or attraction (England 2005, Florence 2006, Petrilli 2004). An analysis of visitor centres both within the UK and around the world reveals that information is presented in myriad fashion based on general site theme. Several secondary roles are also associated with visitor centres. For example, visitor centres may act as a shelter and hospitality (however limited) provider (Wright 2004[1]). These roles may be especially prevalent among outdoor and/or geographically remote centres relative to more urban-set counterparts. Another secondary visitor function may involve travel advisement (Rompf et al. 2005). For example, visitor centres of specific towns or cities may offer services such as road-maps sales, hotel and restaurant directories and weather advisories. These functions exist to minimize the time and financial effort expended by an individual who possesses specific queries regarding personal travel plans. It is important to note that regardless of specific function performed by a given visitor centre, each serves to provide primary informative or logistical services with time and cost-efficiency to individuals. Design There are several elements that contribute to visitor centre design effectiveness. These elements include primary structural design, accessibility and invasiveness. It should be noted that within certain categories there are several variations. For example, primary structural designs may consist of simple, traditional enclosures or complex, nuance architecture. Evaluation of design effectiveness is based not on preconceived notions simply of what is good vs. what is bad, but rather overall appropriateness relative to primary mission of the visitor centre. Discussed below are examples of high vs. poor quality visitor centres. Under each heading, primary examples are listed and discussed. Each example is discussed relative to the main criteria within the design realm (i.e. structural effectiveness, accessibility and invasiveness) that characterizes a visitor centre. High Quality Designs Sydney Visitor Centres, Sydney, Australia Structural designs of the Sydney visitor centres are large and open (see visitor centre, The Rocks, right). The Sydney Visitor Centres are situated in the downtown precinct. Accessibility is excellent given proximity to commercial, entertainment and transportation hubs (i.e. Circular Quay). Also, the centers are well marked to the public. For example, the visitor centre situated in The Rocks (see right) is marked with a large yellow pillar denoting the information symbol. The degree of invasiveness is minimal because the centres exist within already developed commercial areas. Poor Quality Designs Stonehenge Visitor Centre, England The Stonehenge Visitor Centre designs are sound in structure, but poor in accessibility and invasiveness. For example, early renditions of the visitors centre reflect its use as a modern facility wherein visitors can become engaged in Stonehenge’s historical significance. However, a new visitor centre demands motor-based transportation between the centre and Stonehenge monument itself (BBC Online). Critics assert the environmental damage sustained with building of new road infrastructure to facilitate such transfers (BBC Online). Also, the centre is placed such that traffic is bottlenecked along a major interstate motorway (BBC Online). Information: A How to Guide Information presented within a visitor centre is critical to the user’s overall experience and satisfaction. There are three primary elements of information presentation that act not in mutual exclusivity, but in coordination to provide a comprehensive learning experience for a given individual. The first element is information accuracy. Information must be presented with high accuracy to must lucidly inform individuals of what and why a certain site bears historical, cultural or economic significance. The second element is presentation style. Critical to this element is a balance between detail and restrain. Information is most effectively presented if it enables satisfaction among users of a variety of ages, intelligence and general interest levels. The final element involves integration. This refers to the ability to present various different information pieces (i.e. historical accounts, vegetation descriptions[2], maps etc) in context of the site’s general theme or purpose. For example, the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, US, hosts an exhibit entitled â€Å"The World Ahead† (CDC 2003). The exhibit incorporates several presentations dealing with real, modern risks and threats to global health such as bioterrorism and infectious disease (CDC 2003). Information integration is highly effective as the exhibit exists on the premises of one of the most advanced health laboratories in the world. Discussed below are two examples of visitor centres that convey information with high effectiveness. Each example is discussed relative to main criteria within the information realm (i.e. information accuracy, presentation style and integration) that characterizes a visitor centre. As well, visitor centres are examined based on inclusion of essential issues – who, what, where, when, why and how – related to a specific site. Sydney Visitor Centres, Information Services Consider this example that uses a template for information services offered by the Sydney Visitor Centres Online. The following is an exert taken from Sydney Visitor Centres Online website (Information Services, http://www.sydneyvisitorcentre.com/content/dyncontent.cfm?pg=100360) that explains the range of services available within or facilitated by each of its two downtown visitor centres: â€Å"Sydney Visitor Centres offer a comprehensive information service, which includes: Conveniently located centres at The Rocks (9.30am- 5.30pm) and Darling Harbour (9.30am- 5.30pm) open every day of the year except Christmas Day and Good Friday Expert Visitor Services Advisers many of whom are multi-lingual Free information brochures and tourist guides A real-time Booking Service for accommodation, day tours, cruises and other activities in and around Sydney Exclusive souvenirs and gifts, postcards, phone cards, travel cards, tickets and passes for purchase† (Information Services, Sydney Visitors Centres 2006) Consider this outline of information services in the context of satisfying the essential criteria behind any marketing piece – answering the Who, What, Where, Why, When and How regarding the visitor centres and their services. First, the ‘who’ is clearly outlined in the heading, avoiding confusion among individuals as to who to consult vis-à  -vis Sydney attractions and sites. The ‘what’ is explained in terms of each service offered by the visitor centres (i.e. service advisers, booking services, amenities such as phone cards, tickets etc). Heritage and Leisure, Cork, Ireland Information and links distributed through the Heritage and Leisure Department of Cork City council highlights the city’s most famous attractions. For example, links are provided to the Cork Museum, Blarney Castle and Cobh Heritage Centre, each of which possesses a unique significance to Irish culture and history (Cork City Council 2006). The Cobh Centre is particularly well advertised and explained as a sea-farers port, in past for Irish emigrants and in present for cruise liners (Cork City Council 2006). This centre also satisfies the essential information criteria regarding the subject of the site – ‘who’ (Cobh Heritage Centre), ‘what’ (past port for Irish emigrants), ‘where’ (Irish southeastern coast), ‘why’ (drought), ‘when’ (mid 19th to mid 20th century) and ‘how’ (via ship). Conclusions Visitor centres are most effective when blended into respective surroundings and when information is most aptly presented and explained based on site theme. Planners and contractors should heed such fundamental criteria such that future visitor centres accentuate, not dominate specific sites. References BBC Online Version. ‘Visitor Centre â€Å"Will Never Happen†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Undated, Anonymous. Accessed online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/stoned/countess.shtml>, April 17, 2006 CDC Hopes to Draw Crowds of Tourists to New Visitors Center. Anonymous. 2003. Physicians Financial News. 21(13): 25 Cork City Council, Ireland. 2006. Heritage and Leisure. Accessed online at http://www.corkcorp.ie/strategiccorkguide/our_city/heritage_and_leisure.shtml, April 16, 2006 England J. 2005. Historic Wood Used in Nature Preserve. Rocky Mountain Construction. 86(16): 42 Florence B. 2006. ‘Quill Lakes Prepares for Hordes of Spring Visitors’. StarPhoenix, 10 April, p. A3 Information Services, Sydney Visitors Centres. 2006. Accessed online at http://www.sydneyvisitorcentre.com/content/dyncontent.cfm?pg=100360>, April 17, 2006 Petrilli PE. 2004. River of Life. Consulting-Specifying Engineer. 36(4): 48 Rompf P., DiPietro RB and P. Ricci. 2005. Locals’ Involvement in Travelers’ Informational Search and Venue Decision Strategies While at Destination. Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing. 18(3): 11 Sydney Visitors Centres (SVC). 2006. Sydney Visitors Centres. Accessed online at http://www.sydneyvisitorcentre.com/content/dyncontent.cfm?pg=100355>, April 17, 2006 Wright G. 2004. Capitol Visitor Centre Project Nears Halfway Mark. 2004. Building Design Construction. 45(6): 7 Footnotes [1] Note that the Capitol Visitor Centre in Washington, DC, holds a capacity of ~600 for dining events (Wright 2004) [2] See Petrilli (2004) for description of Sandstone Visitor Centre, US, and connection to eco-friendliness

Title Page American History

The American society is characterized by high level of civilization which has been achieved through great efforts by Americans as well as other very important parties that were involved in its formation. In this particular case, the European involvement as well as the involvement of Indian Americans is put into consideration. These two parties became involved in American society’s development before the year eighteen hundred where the Europeans started and Native Americans picked up from them.The main area of concentration during this time was agriculture and the American society was shaped according to the available farming methods, technologies as well as the piece of land. AMERICAN HISTORY The Impact of Native Americans on the Development of American Society before 1800 Introduction From the time when Columbus arrived in America back in the year fourteen ninenty two until the present day, Native Americans have encountered oppression from white men. The land of Native Americ ans was invaded which forced them to settle in reservations.Native Americans were very annoyed and decided to begin war with the whites as a means of defending themselves as well as their land. This took place through Indian wars where whites considered Native Americans as being hostile. Despite the fact that Indian Territory as well as their reservations were taken over by the whites, Native Americans managed to send away tribes that had already inhabited the Northern American region. Native Americans were made to sign agreements with the American government but this government did not keep its side of covenant as the whites still continued to harass Native Americans.(Beers, 2008) Ways in which Indians’ Presence Did Affect the Society Europeans Tried To Craft in America before 1800 during That Time Indian American forms part of the tragic casualty that was affected by imperial expansion. This first occurred through European nations which had tried to shape America as an agri cultural land while a similar situation was also caused by US. The situation where American nation rose on Atlantic seaboard which was followed by a rapid expansion through the interior of Trans-Appalachian resulted to a radical change in the way American society perceived Indian.This made American pioneers to get into the wilderness in a family-like organization while they had an agrarian based society. Americans took up the agrarian way of life from Indians whereby the whole family was required to provide labor in frontier farms owned by the particular families. Once the Americans had adopted the Indian agrarian methodology, they became independent. However, they later realized that they needed the land that belonged to Indians since their population had greatly expanded.More so, there were several modifications in the nature of agricultural markets as well as technology which were different from the one that had been previously introduced by Europeans. (Beers, 2008) The impact th at Native Americans particularly Indian Americans had on the American society were of great benefit to the Americans since they contributed to advancement of agricultural practices introduced earlier on by Europeans. New technology and expansive piece of land for agriculture was made available which could not have been the case if Americans did not have an encounter with Native Americans.(Beers, 2008) Conclusion American history dates so many years ago and European involvement in shaping America is part of it. When Europe invaded American land and tried to rule over it, it had a great influence over its inhabitants. This was mainly through involvement in agricultural activities which Americans embraced. Later on, the shaping of American society continued where Indian Americans were involved. This group of people engaged themselves in more advanced ways of conducting agricultural activities which American society also borrowed from them.The influence of Indian Americans on the Americ an society was positive rather than an obstacle as it introduced new farming technologies as well as expansive pieces of farmland. Some analysts regard the whole process involving American society with European and with Indian Americans as civilization. The American society has portrayed signs of enlightenment and development from the series of engagement. (Beers, 2008) REFERENCES Beers H. (2008): Bibliographies in American history: guide to materials for research: New York, Octagon Books pp 38-42

Process of Socialization Essay

Socialization is the process by which children and adults learn from others. We begin learning from others during the early days of life; and most people continue their social learning all through life (unless some mental or physical disability slows or stops the learning process). Sometimes the learning is fun, as when we learn a new sport, art or musical technique from a friend we like. At other times, social learning is painful, as when we learn not to drive too fast by receiving a large fine for speeding. Natural socialization occurs when infants and youngsters explore, play and discover the social world around them. Planned socialization occurs when other people take actions designed to teach or train others — from infancy on. Natural socialization is easily seen when looking at the young of almost any mammalian species (and some birds). Planned socialization is mostly a human phenomenon; and all through history, people have been making plans for teaching or training others. Both natural and planned socialization can have good and bad features: It is wise to learn the best features of both natural and planned socialization and weave them into our lives. Positive socialization is the type of social learning that is based on pleasurable and exciting experiences. We tend to like the people who fill our social learning processes with positive motivation, loving care, and rewarding opportunities. Negative socialization occurs when others use punishment, harsh criticisms or anger to try to â€Å"teach us a lesson;† and often we come to dislike both negative socialization and the people who impose it on us. There are all types of mixes of positive and negative socialization; and the more positive social learning experiences we have, the happier we tend to be,especially if we learn useful information that helps us cope well with the challenges of life. A high ratio of negative to positive socialization can make a person unhappy, defeated or pessimistic about life. Some people will defend negative socialization, since painful training can prepare people to be ready to fight and die in battle, put themselves at great risk in order to save others, endure torture and hardship. This is true; but many people receive far more negative socialization than they need, and hopefully fewer and fewer people will need to be trained for battle, torture and hardship. Functions of Different Social Processes 1.Cooperation- The most favored of all the social pocesses, promotes solidarity and cohesion. I.primary cooperation exist when individulas share the task and rewards with all the members, when the sharing itself becomes both the ends and the means. II.Secondary Cooperation is mere formal type of cooperation existing in modern societies and formal groups. 2.Conflict and cooperation- there are generally considered destructive forces, especially the conflict process but both also fulfill certain function in our society or else the process will oersist competition for one encourages people to exert their best. It stimulates individuals to improve their skills and evidence their knowledge. 3. Differentiation- As individuals they carry with their status or positions in the social system. The status determines the role play in the social situation. As society become more and more complex, roles and function of members in the social system becomes more and more specialized. Differentition role may depend in such factors as sex, age, wealth accumulated and others. References: http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/baldwin/classes/soc142/scznDEF.html Reporter: Danilo L. Sorio Jr.

The War Of All Time - 1288 Words

Where Trouble Comes Vietnam War, one of the most controversial war of all time, it is best known as the American War, a war between France who had claimed Vietnam as their territory against the communist forces Viet Minh. The year of 1947 when the Truman Doctrine was passed, to send United State trooped across the globe to oppose any communist force. Also countries gathered in Geneva to issue a peace agreement among French-Indochina and Korea. The Geneva Accords temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th Parallel. The war broke out as the Vietcong attacked the Diem (South Vietnam’s President) government, killing thousands of people, which caught the attention of U.S. to send troops to aid South Vietnam. Thus began the production of many movies about the Vietnam War. The goals of Hollywood films are entertaining people and making money, There are times where they focus on entertaining people more than portraying the reality of war. Many Hollywood movie directors distort the tru th of historical events such as the Vietnam war in order to profit and appeal to the audience emotionally as well as influence the viewers to be patriotic. As can be seen in the film â€Å"The Green Berets†(1968) is an example of what a distorted Hollywood film about what the Vietnam War looks like, from depicting Vietnam in terms of cowboys and Indians, fantasy heroic actions, and praising the American soldiers as heroes to glorify the war. Wayne as a â€Å"conservative patriot† (Davidson+Lytle) stated that heShow MoreRelatedThe Civil War : The War Of All Time1988 Words   |  8 PagesYesika Suazo The Civil War Tensions grew between the North and the South causing what is known as the worse war tragedies of all time. The American Civil War was the bloodiest war in our history of the United States killing over 620,000 American soldieries. Many African Americans around 1861-1865 lost a family member or someone close to them. 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