VP-ARC is finalizing has finalized the transfer process of the LOCUSPROJECT Amiais@SL (LA@SL) project.
LA@SL is currently online and fully visitable in Second Life®. VP-ARC aims to keep this significant project alive, well past its programmed duration. VP-ARC also intends to explore strategies that increase the project’s visibility and dynamics, as a prototype of cultural preservation of digital content and enhancement of the cultural experiences in the Metaverse.
The project aims to create a Metaverse simulation of the village of Amiais, Sever do Vouga, Portugal. Amiais is a small village that preserves not only ancient built heritage, as also the traditional ways of living of rural Portugal. The village was the case study of original project LOCUS – PlayfuL cOnneCted rUral territorieS: The Internet of Things in the intergenerational Creative Production of Cultural Georeferenced Contents, a multi-year research project of the Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal.
LA@SL is an iteration of the original project, conceived to explore the possibilities of the Second Life platform. LA@SL results from the partnership between Universidade de Aveiro and acclaimed Metaverse-builders Beta Technologies US Inc, who provided the necessary skills and platform experience.
The project consists in a full simulation of Amiais’ built and natural environment, incorporating real data for accuracy. Over the virtual territory, LA@SL further incorporates a layer of interactivity, following the collaborative creation of a script for a geocaching game. Non-playing characters and interactive objects guide and inform the visitors, encouraging them to explore the simulation and get to know the village’s unique legacy in culture and heritage.
Update (September 2023)
The transfer process is now complete; the virtual presence of Amiais in Second Life® has already been moved to its final location, and its management is now officially done by VP-ARC. Our thanks to everybody involved in this complex process!
