12 Jun 2017 | News

Godavari Knowledge Park Virtual Tour Application Launched

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has introduced a simplified virtual tour web application showcasing the resources and facilities at its Knowledge Park in Godavari. Preview copies were shared and demonstrated at a multi-stakeholder forum organized as part of the Godavari Landscape Journey on June 5 coinciding with the celebration of World Environment Day 2017.

Spread over 30 hectares of land, the ICIMOD Knowledge Park attracts more than 5,000 visitors every year who come to learn about new technologies and practices for sustainable land use and natural resource management in hill areas. Typical visitors to the park include students, farmers, government officials, development practitioners, researchers, and entrepreneurs from ICIMOD member countries and elsewhere.

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Sushil Pandey, Knowledge Management and Communication Specialist introducing virtual tour web application at Knowledge Park in Godavari. Photo credit: Jitendra Raj Bajracharya/ICIMOD

The Godavari Knowledge Park virtual tour has been designed to share knowledge demonstrated at the park with a large mass of people, even when they cannot visit the location physically. The tour enable users to navigate through the Knowledge Park in a web environment and get information on the technologies demonstrated there. The system uses a complete 360 degree view of selected locations and technologies from the park with which a user can interact. Users have the ability to zoom in and out, and focus on areas and subjects of interest.

The virtual tour can be accessed online from anywhere through a web environment at: https://www.icimod.org/virtualtour/icimodknowledgepark/index.html

It can also be viewed offline from a pen drive or a local computer drive.

Tashi Dorji, livelihood specialist at ICIMOD, who attended the launch event on June 5, pointed out that ICIMOD’s Godavari Knowledge Park has become a model landscape to demonstrate best practices on climate resilient agricultural practices, value chains, and sustainable natural resources management relevant for the Hindu Kush Himalaya. “Yet, many beneficiaries still cannot afford to visit the park,” he said, pointing out that for relevant stakeholders from ICIMOD regional member countries, a visit to the park is an opportunity to acquire first-hand knowledge from practical demonstrations. “The launching of the Godavari Knowledge Park on a virtual platform is truly a milestone as it will extend the outreach of ICIMOD’s knowledge and best practices to a larger audience in the region and across the globe,” he said. “It will certainly go a long way towards bridging knowledge gaps in mountain farming systems. It will also provide motivation to innovative good practices and technologies through an interactive platform and feedback mode.”