UN World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa

Munich Germany, 5 September 2002, Sky-Skan Europe GmbH

The BMW Group EarthLounge at the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg South Africa featured a SkyVision Full Dome Video System and Digital Sky, Sky-Skan announced today. This was Sky-Skan’s 26th SkyVision installation.

Realized by ag4 mediatecture of Cologne Germany and situated in Sandton Square directly outside the Summit Conference Center, the Lounge is a 24-meter translucent hemisphere representing the Earth. During the conference in the evenings, hi resolution images of the Earth were projected inside the domed structure.

Sky-Skan worked together with the Carl Zeiss Company of Jena Germany, creating a SkyVision Full Dome Video System, which delivers 6 channels of Hi-Definition Video to a 6 Projector Zeiss ADLIP (All Dome Laser Image Projection) System. The ADLIP System itself features a special configuration using double the normal laser power to each projector head. The extra power was specified to increase brightness and color saturation to the already stunning laser video images in order to compensate for the high ambient light of Sandton Square.

Sky-Skan’s Graphics Department was responsible for the production of the 10-minute program featured on the dome. Directed by and featuring original footage from Exponent 3 in Munich Germany, the program is a technical marvel itself with up to 26 simultaneous video streams set against the backdrop of a super-high resolution image of the Earth in rotation.

In addition to the pre-rendered show sequences, SkyVision’s Real-Time DigitalSky provided other views of the Earth. With 6km per pixel resolution across the dome screen, DigitalSky is showing the Earth with or without clouds, during the daytime or nighttime, and a special “moon glow” mode where the landmasses remain visible at night. The latter images are especially interesting to the Summit delegates as they clearly show the distribution of light in urban areas throughout the World.

Sky-Skan also provided 150 meters of its LED Cove Lighting used to wash the entire interior of the dome in stunning colors. Sky-Skan’s SPICE Automation kept all elements effortlessly under control and provided simple button-push access to all modes permitting spontaneous scene changes on demand.

Surrounding the Earth Lounge ag4 conceived and realized other complimentary structures, all based on the BMW Group theme of “Sustainability: It can be done”. The installation includes an impressive display of technology including LED and plasma screens, sound and lighting all ingeniously integrated into the architecture.

About Sky-Skan

For over 35 years, Sky-Skan has been the World’s leading provider of media technologies and facility design for theaters. Sky-Skan’s products and services include their trademark SPICE Automation Show Control System, Dome Screen oriented video and audio systems, specialized image creation software for video and still pictures on domed screens and complete turn-key facility design and construction management services. Sky-Skan has kept its lead in a highly competitive field through continuous R&D and development of industry leading products like the high definition SkyVision Full-Dome Projection System and its latest tool, DigitalSky: a resourceful real-time digital star field and graphics system. There are over 25 SkyVision installations completed to date and over 250 SPICE Theater Automation systems installed in planetaria, Large Format Film theaters, domed media theaters, museums and science centers over the entire world. Recent SkyVision installations include the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC and the Museum of Transport and Communication in Lucerne Switzerland. Sky-Skan maintains sales, production facilities and technical support on 3 continents with its offices in Nashua NH USA, Munich Germany and Melbourne Australia.

More information on SkyVision HD, Digital Sky and Sky-Skan, Inc. may be found on the Internet at www.skyskan.com
More about the BMW Group EarthLounge can be found at http://www.worldsummit.de/earth-lounge/video/index.php
More information on ADLIP and Carl Zeiss can be found at www.zeiss.de./de/planetarium/home.nsf
More information on EXPONENT 3 media production can be found at www.exponent3.com
More information on ag4 mediatecture company can be found at www.ag4.de
More information on the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development www.johannesburgsummit.org