AV Technology - May 2008 - (Page 54)

casestudy government The Tribe Has Spoken as the resolutions are voted on. The name list has each council member’s name, weighted vote, and how they voted. The public wanted this so they could hold their representative council members more accountable.” TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS Ledford cites both Multi-Media Solutions and Media Vision as key partners in making a smooth transition to the new technology. “Working with Multi-Media Solutions has been great since they are very knowledgeable about audiovisual solutions,” says Ledford. “We sent them the specifications of what we wanted to augment and they put us in touch with Media Vision, who worked hard to help us out. Media Vision even came out to Cherokee, NC to do some training on the system.” Based in Alcoa, TN, Multi-Media Solutions (MMS) served as AV integrator — both designing and installing the system for the EBCI. MMS owner and president Mike White, along with installation and integration specialist Jason Ion, used a four-man crew working for four weeks and a two-man crew working for two weeks to complete the project. Ion says the Taiden 4100 system serves a very critical part of the integrated chamber AV system. “The two most important functions are audio support for microphone and individual speakers for each chief and providing real-time voting feedback,” he notes. “With this system, the feedback and results of the votes are immediately displayed in the room and every element of audio is supported by the Taiden system.” Ion says logistics played the most challenging role in the installation. “When you integrate several components together, there will be issues that are difficult to solve due to the complexity of the system,” he explains. “At the same time that we were installing and integrating the AV components, the entire chamber room was being renovated, literally torn down to the supporting structure and refinished. We also had to take special care to respect the historical elements within the building.” Along with the Taiden system there were several other significant subsystems integrated during the EBCI conference system integration. Ledford is enthusiastic about what he is working with now. “We had 12 monitors installed, one for each www.avtechnologyonline.com Each tribal member can view proceedings and voting activity on their own LCD display, and visitors can watch on large 60-inch plasma monitors. THANKS TO A NEW AUDIOVISUAL SYSTEM, THE EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS CAN BETTER SHARE THEIR WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY. By Matt Wunsch T he Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), located in North Carolina, was in need of a complete Tribal Council House AV upgrade in order to support the people of the Cherokee nation with governance communication. With the help of AV integrator Multi-Media Solutions, Chinese conferencing equipment manufacturer Taiden, and Media Vision USA (Taiden’s U.S. distributor), EBCI turned an antiquated conferencing and audiovisual system into a state-of-the-art package during a three-month installation in the summer of 2007. EBCI audio video specialist Jason Ledford had researched the Taiden 4100 series conference system and thought it would be the best possible fit for the tribe. “The tribe needed the system for accountability reasons,” Ledford says. “We broadcast every Tribal Council meeting on our government cable Channel 28. The public wanted a record as to how each council member voted and they wanted to see it as each resolution was voted on. The council members 54 | AVTECHNOLOGY | may 2008 each carry a weighted vote depending on the community they represent, and the public wanted to see how that played out as well. We also thought it would ease the workload on the Tribal Operations Program, who drafted up all resolutions and voting tallies.” Ledford says the Taiden system, which cost the tribe roughly $42,000, serves as a voting solution as well as the Council member’s primary sound reinforcement system. With Taiden’s on/off speaking function, Council members are able to speak with one another during their meetings without being overheard over the air or during other council members’ speaking time. “It also allows the Chairmen more control over the proceedings by reducing the number of concurrent speakers during any given moment,” Ledford notes. “Before the system was in place, the Council used a traditional ‘raising of the right hand’ vote. Now we have the system set up so our camera operator can display the name list and voting results as soon http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - May 2008

AV Technology - May 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: How to Qualify an AV Supplier Education: Working Smarter AV Technology's Guide to Networked AV Government: IPv6 — Why You Should Care Calculating ROI on Your Digital Signage Investment Enhancing Audio in the Classroom Minimizing Equipment Theft Smart AV The Tribe Has Spoken AV Enables Interactive Research AV Image Enhancement Product Spotlight Tech Horizons Product Review New Products AV MO

AV Technology - May 2008

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