Department of Interior’s National Indian Programs Training Center, Albuquerque, N.M.
Jan 4, 2010 12:00 PM
CobraNet Enhances Learning
There probably isn’t any tougher assignment for audiovisual equipment than in centers of
education and training. Classes, meetings, and events every day, throughout the day (and
evenings) mean that the AV equipment is in continuous use.
The Department of Interior’s National Indian Programs Training Center (NIPTC) in Albuquerque, N.M., is no exception. The Center sees more than 6,000 students every year, providing federal employees with training programs including cultural awareness and government policy.
Related Links
Technology Showcase: Remote-controlled and Networked Power Amplifiers
With the coming of digital audio networks and new protocols augmenting existing serial control technologies, the world of power amplifier control and monitoring has become an increasingly exciting and innovative realm…
This April, a unique event in baseball history took place: two professional teams in the same city moved into new stadiums in the same season. In the Bronx, the New York Yankees moved into a new home across the street from the then-still-standing old Yankee Stadium…
Audio Podcast: Using A-Net Networks for Long-distance Conveyance
In this installment, Liles talks with Jeff Lange–consultant liaison and training manager for Aviom, a leading maker of digital audio networking systems–about the MH-10 Merger Hub for interfacing A-Net networks with fiber optic lines in long distance conveyance…
Shortly the facility opened its doors in 2006, an effort was launched to enhance the teaching and
learning experience through state-of-the-art audiovisual technologies.
“Initially, staff used portable equipment,” says Morris E. Gaiter, NIPTC distance learning
coordinator. “It was older equipment that was moved from room to room and had to be
brought out of storage, set up, tested, and then dismantled and re-stored every time it was
used.”
This is a lot of moving about when you consider the NIPTC has 11 classrooms, five computer
labs, five breakout rooms, and two conference rooms within its 50,000 square feet.
But the NIPTC knew technology was just a part of the equation. So the organization turned to ExhibitOne to design, integrate and install a system that addressed the Center’s unique requirements.
At the high level, it was important for every room to have the same audiovisual capabilities and that the equipment could be easily controlled within each room or controlled centrally for the entire facility. “That has been the biggest benefit of all,” Gaiter says.
However, it’s only after peeking under the hood does one begin to appreciate the
experience and expertise needed to transform “simple and easy” into a fully integrated,
facility-wide system incorporating DVD/VCRs, document cameras, computers, monitors,
touchscreen room control panels, loudspeakers, access to cable TV, two satellite systems, digital
signage, a media production center, and a satellite broadcast studio.
Another key consideration was the Facility Wide Audio Translation (FWAT) system, which sends the audio and video signals from any classroom to interpreters located in a central location. Their translation is then sent back to the classroom to be transmitted through infrared transmitters.
A key to it all was ExhibitOne’s use of CobraNet. With it came sophisticated system management capabilities, much lower cabling costs, reliability, and high-quality digital sound.
“Our ability to offer the CobraNet solution also provided the NIPTC with a capability that could not be matched by competing designs: tremendous flexibility. The NIPTC’s audio system can change and grow with zero additional cabling,” says ExhibitOne Project/Design Engineer Krystofer von Hybschmann. Similar flexibility and expandability has also been designed into the NIPTC’s video capabilities.
The NIPTC had ExhibitOne install what it designed. “With our design, a local installation firm
could have accomplished the installation portion of the project,” von Hybschmann says. “But
having ExhibitOne install it ensured the design information was completely understood and the
installation process was virtually seamless to the client—something that cannot be guaranteed when information is handed off to a third-party installation firm.”
“I really liked the one-on-one relationship with key ExhibitOne personnel and the flexibility of plans for our system,” Gaiter says.
