The Bureau of Land Management National Training Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Introduction

General Projection Systems was hired by the Bureau of Land Management for the purpose of building out all of the learning technologies at their brand new National Training Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The BLM National Training Center

The Bureau, responsible for all national land West of the Mississippi River, built its new National Training Center in order to train biologists, park managers, geologists and all sort of other specialties. The facility operates at near capacity all year long.

General Projection provided all of the distance learning, smart classroom and presentation systems for this unique set of buildings. A total of 13 classrooms were provided with such systems. Additionally, the building is linked internally by means of wide bandwidth routing and patching through centralized head-end systems as well as connected to the outside through ISDN and production capabilities.

The various classrooms (each named for a state managed by BLM) provide flexibility for a variety of training purposes. Additionally, one classroom is setup as a mock courtroom to train BLM personnel for inevitable courtroom appearances. Three of the classrooms can actually be converted into one large auditorium when the need arises.

Design

Technology includes VHS and Umatic video playback, computer connectivity, CATV tuners and a complete audio system. The displays are large CRT-based, ceiling mounted projection systems that are hidden from view when not in use via a "projector lift" system. The various planned and unplanned room uses are accommodated via a very sophisticated remote control system (see example touch panel figure). Through this control system, the presenter/lecturer is allowed to concentrate on the presentation and not have to worry about moving around the room to control lights, adjust volume or start a presentation.

Success

The system has been a spectacular success with numerous classes all going on at the same time. The system is rapidly reconfigurable allowing for mixed uses with little downtime between functions. Today's BLM staffer is better trained and equipped than ever before, allowing the Bureau to more efficiently manage its vast resources and responsibilities.

To learn more about the BLM project or to plan a training facility, contact us through our Information Request form or by sending an email to Solutions@genproj.com