Family Forest

RootsTech Innovator Challenge, Entry 2015

Created By: Technology Exploration Group

Mobile/Desktop

Availble for iPhone, Android, Samsung, XBox, PlayStation and Web Versions Available Soon!

Inspiration

Our team was inspired by the challenge of engaging a new and younger audience in the exiting exploration of genealogy. We approached the challenge with the mindset that we would not only bring the world of genealogy into the present, but into the future. Recent emerging wearable technology, which includes 3D Virtual Reality Heads-Up Displays, has included the arrival of a low cost, open source cardboard viewer. Visualizations using these viewers will be adopted by more companies looking to give customers virtual tours of data, and a host of environments. The auto maker Volvo announced the use of the 3D disposable cardboard viewer to bolster car sales, offering a virtual test drive environment to customers. Gamification and visualization of data is the natural progression of the study of history, genealogy, science and the arts. We believe that we have not only created a desktop environment that will engage kids and adults alike, but we have solved the problem of how to engage the young when they are looking at their family history, in the Family Forest tailored to each family, in a 3D Virtual Reality 360 degree environment. We have gone a step further to also source a variety of styles of Wearable 3d VR Viewer, as shown in our demonstration video. We endeavor to offer the application as a stand alone application, to be enjoyed on the desktop and mobile, as well as a 3d stereoscopic version for android, for use in any viewer. We will couple the application with a choice of viewer type as an additional option. To truly show the impact, we plan to present our innovation to judges in the full 3D VR 360 degree world, using the low cost viewers we have developed.

How it works

Updates will load when you click on the watering can at the wishing well. This means that eventually, parents can make updates that kids can see updated live in the 3D smartphone viewer. The decision to use the Unity 3D Game Engine for the Rootstech Innovator Challenge was an easy one for us. We wanted Family Forest to not only be informative, but fun and immersive as well. Unity gave us the ability to transform what is usually two-dimensional data into a beautiful 3D rendered environment that the entire family can visit and enjoy. By incorporating gamification into genealogical research, we feel that we can reach more people. In today’s rapidly expanding technological society, gaming culture is a way of life. Family Forest will tap into that lifestyle as well, with a Family Forest version slated for all gaming console systems and Samsung Smart televisions. Many users will enjoy the experience using just their home mac or windows desktop, as we lead the immense genealogy market into the first truly immersive 3D Virtual Reality genealogy experience.

Family Forest will bolt onto any GEDCOM-X or '.ged formatted file as a source for the information fed to the gaming environment. As the data-set at FamilySearch.org is changed, and saved to a customer profile, it will be mirrored the next time Family Forest is started. We enable this using very secure SSL and Open Auth 2.0 communication protocols. Customers can be assured that we will be able to use profile and hypermedia to feed a potentially endless experience of Family Forests stretching across town and the world. Taking the next generation into an exciting adventure using 3D and real world information.

Data science allows our engine to create the custom worlds dynamically, based on what data is available. This is an innovation that creates customization and hours of engagement with our application, from the youngest to the oldest users. Histogram and statistical algorithms help our engine distribute the forest and change it in real-time. This is a simulation experience in a live 3D environment, which is a first for mobile phone technology. Common historical data sets, pictures, and converted maps are part of a place of beauty that anyone can enjoy. Through the web interface, you’ll be able to check for new connections, add and invite friends and family, and make changes to your environment. Any changes made through the Web interface will update in real time on all other devices.

We believe our application gets kids asking questions and participating in the discovery of their history in a very cool way.

Example Uses

This allows for interaction by the entire family.

Using Family Forest via the PC will be engaging, educational and fun. You’ll be able to check for new connections, change the environment in which your forest is growing, and even change the season if you so choose.

Let’s say your children aren’t all that interested in your family history. Maybe they will be once you tell them that they’ll be able to keep up with the family genealogy right on their XBOX One or PS4. They’ll be able to walk through a dark European forest, or along the beach of a Tropical Island under the palm fronds that represent their past.

Challenges I ran into

One of our challenges was settling on a demonstration environment, when so many custom choices were present. We realize that this problem doesn't translate to the customer, as more customization of the Family Forest allows personality to convey in the scene. Our challenge was presenting an environment that told the story of the larger experience, and allowed the judges to still imagine custom scenes. We did not want availability of a low cost 3D viewer to dampen the enthusiasm of the true "WOW" factor of the application, so we neutralized the problem by sourcing the low cost viewers ourselves. These viewers will be available for purchase with the application for an additional fee, and shipped directly to the customer.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We are proud to present a product that maintains the integrity of the study of genealogy. We strive to keep all of the family history data right out in front, to be the primary focus of the environment, rather than secondary to the experience. The exploration of the Family Forest is the experience, without distraction or data loss. Voice files, word docs, jpeg's, pdf's and other hyper media are easily accessible with the click of the mouse or gamepad. We believe our team succeeded in bringing the study of family history into the next generation.

What I learned

As a team we learned that there is much validation in the idea that with the younger, gaming generation, it is necessary to not just present data, but to present data in engaging visualization environments. We learned that kids learn without trying, if they are engaged in the experience. They will ask questions, pursue more data, so that the gamification is ongoing.

What's next for Family Forest

Family Forest will be a customizable environment. Trees, grasses, gardens and features can all be customized. We foresee a visualization that also includes a world map, with the ability to walk around a globe with ancestry mapped in the 3D environment. Additionally, we plan to stitch these individual environments together to build a community of forests and gardens, to be mapped into a shared social environment where people can post requests to walk through other member's virtual environments, and people can share their ideas and become immersed in the world of genealogy.