| Civil War History can now be Viewed in the Palm of a Visitor |
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CIVIL WAR HISTORY CAN NOW BE VIEWED IN THE PALM OF A VISITOR’S HAND!GPS Ranger™ Launched at Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi AUSTIN, TX (June 2007)—Visitors to Vicksburg National Military Park now have the best of both worlds with the innovative GPS Ranger and one of the country’s most knowledgeable historians on the Civil War, narrating the tour, Park Ranger Terrence Winschel. Bar Z Adventures, the leading provider of hand-held Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology, announced today the introduction of the GPS Ranger to visitors at Vicksburg National Military Park. Vicksburg is the first historic Civil War location to offer the GPS Ranger—a hand-held multimedia touring device—to visitors.The GPS Ranger utilizes groundbreaking technology to automatically deliver compelling audio and brilliant video to visitors at any location in the world! Its application at Vicksburg is a perfect demonstration of how GPS can help make a national park experience powerful and memorable. As visitors walk or drive around the park, Historian Terrence Winchel automatically appears on the sunlight readable screen retelling the powerful story of the 43 day Siege of Vicksburg. Visitors walk among the trenches where Union and Confederate soldiers played a deadly game of “hot potato” with grenades when the siege lines were close enough to reach out and touch each other. Visitors connect with the deep impact the war between brothers had on the entire nation. President Abraham Lincoln had six brothers in law in Confederate gray, including Captain David Todd, brother of the first lady, who fought at Vicksburg. As they experience the majestic monuments visitors hear that the White House was draped in black when Confederate General Benjamin Hardin Helm, another brother in law to the president, was killed in the Battle of Chickamauga. Vicksburg National Military Park joins The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta as one of the first locations in America to embrace this unique technology. The GPS Ranger is simple—it delivers the park ranger message based on satellite recognition of GPS coordinates. The result—visitors to the site can have their own personal ranger guide them through a tour of the park and at their own pace.. “Unlike other electronic solutions for the tourism industry, the GPS Ranger™ uses GPS to trigger rich multimedia content when the user comes within range of a point of interest. Audio, video, text and pictures are integrated to tell the stories that have woven the fabric of America,” said Lee Little, founder of BarZ Adventures and inventor of the GPS Ranger™ system. Here is how the device works: Visitors touring the monuments and memorials dispersed throughout the park while holding a GPS Ranger™ will automatically see and hear the compelling content. The story of the 43 day Siege of Vicksburg unfolds as visitors drive and walk among the sacred ground that memorializes one of the most difficult and challenging times in our nation’s history. A visitor may also view the entire program on demand, regardless of location, by scrolling the touch screen of the GPS Ranger for content files. GPS Ranger™ is no wider than 6” and fits into the palm of a visitor’s hand. It weighs approximately 8 oz. and has an amplified audio system with disposable headphones and operates using a touch screen. GPS Ranger™ is now available daily at the Vicksburg National Military Park Visitor Center for $14.95 per use. BarZ Adventures will introduce the GPS Ranger™ to many more of America’s treasures, including a release in Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah in Summer 2007, Death Valley National Park, Fall 2007, and Shenandoah National Park, Spring 2008. The Zoo Ranger, a sister product to the GPS Ranger, is currently available to visitors at the San Francisco Zoo and visitors to the Santa Barbara Zoo and Dallas Zoo will enjoy the Zoo Ranger beginning August 2007. The Ranger™ Series of products will soon be available to cruise lines, and other selected markets. About BarZ Adventures Bar Z Adventures LP is an Austin, Texas-based company combining experts in the fields of computer delivery systems, documentary film production, and interpretive and educational content development. Bar Z Adventures has designed the patent pending GPS Ranger™ with large venues and their visitors in mind. The sole mission of BarZ Adventures is to help enhance the visitor experience using modern technology. Bar Z Adventures captures the pioneering spirit that is represented in our nation’s history and, through unique technology, brings that history and culture to visitors throughout the public lands of the United States. . . and the World. For more information on the company or its products log onto www.barzadventures.com, www.gpsranger.com or call (512) 732-0135. About Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates the campaign, siege and defense of Vicksburg. Vicksburg was a fortress located on high ground guarding the Mississippi River. Its surrender on July 4, 1863, coupled with the fall of Port Hudson, Louisiana, divided the South, and gave the North undisputed control of the Mississippi River. The Vicksburg battlefield includes 1,330 monuments and markers, a 16 mile tour road, a restored Union gunboat, and a National Cemetery. For more information visit the Vicksburg National Military Park website at http://www.nps.gov/vick/ |
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