Manitoba Museum – Virtual Exhibit & App

The Background

The Manitoba Museum is the province’s largest not-for-profit heritage and science centre. It is well known for its vivid portrayal of Manitoba’s rich and diverse history, Planetarium shows, and Science Gallery exhibits.

The Museum’s collections reflect the heritage of Manitoba and other regions of the world. Its nine three-dimensional walk-through interpretive galleries explore the interrelationship of people and their environment.

The Opportunity

In the fall of 2012, the Museum, in partnership with the Virtual Museum of Canada and the Canadian Heritage Information Network, embarked on a project to showcase prairie plant and pollinator collections through a virtual exhibit.

No prominent Canadian Museum had produced an exhibit on wild plants and pollinators. The Manitoba Museum had a significant collection, and this project aimed to digitize the pieces and make them accessible to the general public.

The Solution

Relish developed the new Prairie Pollination website with a companion app to bring this fascinating exhibition alive.

Two of the Museum’s archive databases, one for plants and one for pollinators, served as the engines for the interactive website.

The Prairie Pollination website featured a(n):

• Plant and pollination gallery
• Virtual prairie tour videos
• Lesson plans for teachers
• Glossary
• Conservation challenge
• Interactive game allowing users to create a pollinator and test their pollination IQ

Relish’s Development Team followed strict accessibility regulations dictating language options and user experience.

The PlantSpotting iOS and Android app gave users the ability to Pollinator and Plant “fieldwork” of their own.

The PlantSpotting app employed geolocation to show users their current position on a map and the plant species they should typically find around them. The app also encouraged users to create and share their plant and pollinator content by taking a photo with their mobile device and uploading it to the central database, along with the plant’s name and its location.