Natural History Museum of Crete

The Natural History Museum of Crete (NHMC) has established the Information Centre “NATURA 2000 HALL”, dedicated to the areas of the NATURA 2000 Network of Crete.

The project was completed in September 2016 in the framework of the European LIFE Natura2000 Value Crete programme. The objective of the Information Centre is to acquaint residents and visitors with the protected areas of the NATURA 2000 Network of Crete. It includes four (4) interactive new technology systems, in which the specific characteristics of these regions, the ecosystems and the species they host, the protection regime applicable to them and the relevant threats, as well as their importance and contribution to social and economic welfare of the island are presented in an understandable and comprehensible way.

Through interaction with small and large screens visitors can enjoy rare images of rural Crete, in a pleasant and entertaining way, understand the direct connection of human occupations with the natural environment and learn how human activities may affect the ecological balance and health of natural ecosystems, along with the fauna and flora that share with us this charismatic place.

More specific, the interactive systems incorporated in the Natural History Museum of Crete are:

• Be There NOW!, an interactive system that allows the exploration of different sceneries and immerses the users in various landscapes, by depicting the visitors standing before it, within the landscapes and the vistas projected, as if they were at that place.

• Infocloud, a system that comprises a collection of keywords, images and video thumbnails displayed on a very large touch screen, presented in a constant flow.

• Interactive Map, a system that comprises points of interest shown on the map of Crete with emphasis on the protected areas of NATURA 2000 of Crete. Moreover, it allows users to extract information in multimedia content and text form with the touch of their fingers.

• Panoptes, an innovative interactive system that provides information related to Cretan ecosystems and species they host, combining an impressive wooden steering wheel that allows physical interaction and navigation through the digital content presented by two screens.