Building your own Voyage
Want to create and publish a Voyage for the Voyager deeptime app? This section contains the information you need to do it.
Voyages can be created for any location on the globe, all you need is a great geology story you would like to share with people.
Contact us at voyage@deeptime.voyage to run your ideas past us, to get advice on the process and of course to get your Voyage finally published for the app so you can engage your audience.
At its heart a Voyage consists of a map for a walk/venture in an area of interesting geology, with key points of interest marked – what are called Task Sites in the app. For each Task Site, pages (screens) consisting of graphics, text and optionally audio and video, are created to inform the user about what is happening at the Site and its surroundings.
Task Sites are where a user/player of the Voyage will be set a number of questions relating to the geology you have explained and encouraged them to investigate. They build a score for their efforts in answering the Tasks, but there are other challenges – the unpredictable Threats and depletion of virtual life support supplies. A key aspect of the app is the presentation of how the environment of the Voyage area may have been, in terms of appearance, life, climate and ancient (palaeo) geography, at various points in the deep time past. The gathering and validation of this data, along with creation of the visual aspects (the palaeo views) is no quick task, but the outcome can be very informative and of value at a time when we are increasing need to beware of how much the environment of about planet is capable of changing, based on what has occurred in the past.
The following documents, in formats suitable for both Windows and Mac users, provide the framework for the data required for a Voyage to work on the app.
Please follow the guidance in these documents.
Note specifications of image sizes, file naming, etc. to ensure publication of your Voyage is as quick as possible.
Guidance and template for defining a Voyage.
VoyageTemplate as a Word document (Windows)
VoyageTemplate as a Pages document (Mac)
VoyageTemplate as a PDF – universally readable
Alternatively you may prefer to enter your Voyage details using one of the spreadsheet formats provided below.
The VoyageDetails spreadsheet covers map and Task Sites, whilst PalaeoData deals with the palaeo images and information for the rocks covered in your Voyage. Still refer to the VoyageTemplate document for an explanation of the information required, format of images, etc.
VoyageDetails.xls – Excel for Windows
VoyageDetails.numbers – Numbers for Mac
PalaeoData.xls – Excel for Windows
PalaeoData.numbers – Numbers for Mac
Ready to submit your Voyage
When you are ready to submit your Voyage send all the files using a file transfer service like the free WeTransfer to the following email: voyage@deptime.voyage
If you prefer to send your files in some other way, or have any query about creating your own Voyage, then email us at voyage@deeptime.voyage
To summarise the files you should send:
Completed Voyage details using one of the supplied template documents or spreadsheets.
map.jpg
overlay.jpg
thumb.jpg
geofence.png (if you have produced your own).
Image files you have assigned to each task site information screens.
Image files used in Task Questions
Image files for palaeo view – plan views – life – weather forecasts.
Any sound (mp3) or video/animation (mp4) files.
We look forward to receiving your Voyage for publication.
