Aim:
Ever wanted to travel to Antarctica? Do you like the cold, but don't have the money or time? With this simulation you can go there and see what it's like. This simulation allows the user to explicitly see the animals and facilities down in the Antarctic, without actually going there. Trips to Antarctica are typically more than $6,000 for a single person and it takes hours and hours of travel time, usually including stopovers in South American countries. With this simulation, there is no need to spend the time or the money, you too can have a direct experience. The simulation is not just entertainment, however. It is very much educational as well. You can learn all you ever wanted to about this 7th continent and its culture. Features of this simulation include a complete and personal view of the United States Arrival Heights facility, as well as an up-close and personal experience with 3 different penguin rookeries.

Educational Aspects/Functionality:
Animals:
Penguin behavior is still an active study of today's scientists. Everyday comes a new explanation to the trivial penguin wobble as well as the communication systems of these small creatures. One example, which is not shown in the simulation, would be survival of the fittest. If penguins are presented with the situation that they are above the water and must dive in for food, they will find the weakest of their kind and push them in. If that penguin survives, they all dive in together, otherwise if they already know that the dark waters below are safe, they will set themselves on their stomach and toboggan themselves into the water. (This is shown in the simulation). This is typically simulated through a combination of orientation interpolators and position interpolators. For more information behind the scenes of the simulation, please click on the link at the bottom of the page.

Penguin sounds are very important when determining the state of a rookery or an individual penguin. As a person moves closer to one of the three rookeries established in the simulation, the penguins can sense danger and hence let out an alarming cry which can be heard for about a quarter of a mile. When an individual King penguin is placed in an alarming situation he too will cry for help, but it is of a different kind of sound, as one can hear when they become increasingly close to the stranded King penguin on the fragmented ice blocks. Antarctic waters are typically filled with fragmented ice blocks. (They move because of a position interpolator). These are usually acquired by breaking off from ice glaciers and cliffs (such as the ones seen in the back of the simulation). Yes, there are dolphins found down by the Antarctic, along with the more typically seen Orcas or killer wales.

Dolphins and Orcas typically come above the water surface to view the above water world and to search for prey. You can see and hear the dolphin as it jumps out of the water to see the Antarctic world. This is also done through a combination of orientation and position interpolators.

Facilities:
The United States Arrival Facility modeled in the simulation is an exact duplicate of the model that is actually down at the McMurdo Research Center in Antarctica. It's prospective can be found at the following website:
Arrival Heights Prospectus

This facility (which is the main building shown in the simulation in an off-whitish color) has accommodations for one sleeper (one bedroom), a work area, a supply room, a sensor room (for the roof sensors), a foyer, an entry vestibule, and shared storage space. This building is the center for many scientific experiments and analysis, as is the New Zealand Arrival Heights Facility, which is located just behind the United States building (in green in the simulation). Notice the wires attached from the top of the building to the ground. These wires are maintained for extra stability during windy weather. The Antarctic is not only the coldest place on Earth, but it is the windiest as well. The United States Arrival Heights Facility is different from most facilities down in the Antarctic because it has an in-door bathroom. So as to simulate a typical Antarctic Facility, I included an out-house facility that most Antarctican’s utilize. The outhouse has an internal light bulb which, when touched, can light the inside of the outhouse.

For those curious, bathroom facilities in the Antarctic are not the same as those found in the United States. The toilet is propane incinerated because of the lack of plumbing available in the Antarctic, which is also why most toilets are out-housed. The shape and color of the outhouse are very important. It is triangular primarily to provide extra stability in windy weather, but also to circulate heat efficiently. Can you guess why it is black? It is not to keep penguins away, but it is black to conduct and maintain heat. Each room of the simulated US Arrival Heights Facility is as precisely seen on the website. Also, Each room has one or more lights hung from the ceiling, which can be switched-on, by the light switches typically found around the door. The Entry Vestibule is very tiny and is only used to walk-through into the rest of the facility and to hang your coats! The bedroom is very similar to a regular bedroom, while the supply room was changed into a sort-of kitchen, with a table and chairs available, along with a micro fridge (Open it up!). The work area consist of 2 work benches, 4 main-frame computer systems for holding and analyzing data, along with supply cabinets, which house books and other electronic machines (you can look inside of the cabinets and view these objects).

There is a lamp on the first bench with which you can turn the light on and view the book below it. Also take a look at the color changing lava-lamp! Yes these scientists are normal too! They bring their own personal items to the facilities and it is these items that make the facilities more like home.

(Also view the pictures in frames found in the work area and the bedroom). The sensors on the roof are directly connected to the computer systems found in the facilities (hence the sensors are built into the roof). The shared space room consists of the newly arrived materials (still in their boxes), while the sensor room has a ladder for maintaining the sensors inside of the building and out. You can also find more books and electronic machines on the shelves. Extra chairs, which are not normally in the sensor room, were put there just for storage for a short period of time. Lastly, the foyer consists of only a bench for weary visitors to rest their bones on.

To view more information regarding this project, click HERE
To View All pictures of the Simulation, please click on the links to the left of the main page.
To Enter The Virtual Antarctica, click here : Virtual Antarctica