Lake Louise Visitor Centre

EDM Studio provided the digital media for the 2023 renovation of the Lake Louise Visitor Centre. This W3 Design Group-led project sits at the gateway to Banff National Park’s most iconic alpine destinations. Our interactives center on a massive topographical relief map fabricated by Holman Exhibits, complemented by touchscreens, digital signage, and an action video wall installed by audio-visual integrator Eos Lightmedia.

Topographical Map

Visitors immediately encounter a large-scale topographical relief map spanning Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks. Five touchscreens embedded along the perimeter invite exploration of hundreds of curated points-of-interest (POIs) through a streamlined map interface. EDM drew on deep experience with map-based interactives to power this exhibit via a flexible back-end CMS.

Young visitor standing near the 5-station topographical map. During peak summer hours, the Centre receives thousands of visitors a day. This feature interactive lets visitors research their own route, with nearby staff ready to answer any questions.

The design keeps things clean and intuitive. After a period of inactivity, untouched screens draw visitors in with a welcoming attract sequence of curated seasonal park images. The visitor is invited to start exploring in either English or French.

A welcoming attract sequence features compelling curated seasonal images from the park.

Once engaged, visitors find a clean, intuitive interface. Each screen focuses on an adjacent region of the physical topographical map: Lake Louise/Moraine Lake, Bow Valley Parkway/Banff, Icefields Parkway, Kootenay National Park, and Yoho National Park. The orientation of each kiosk’s map content matches that of the physical map. I.e., map orientations adjust naturally, rotating 180 degrees for visitors on the Bow Valley side versus Yoho/Kootenay—for seamless contextual viewing.

The system contains hundreds of trails, parking lots, campgrounds and other points-of-interest. To locate a beginner hike in the area of Lake Moraine, the visitor toggles on Easy Trails and pans/zooms to the area of interest.

We zoom in to focus on the area near Moraine Lake

Touching Fairview Lookout brings up detailed information about this trail.

Again, all of this data – including the actual trail route – is authored and editable by authorized staff at the Lake Louise Visitor Centre.

Digital Signage

Four non-interactive wall-mounted screens deliver essential at-a-glance info throughout the centre. Looping slideshows cover Environment Canada weather, road conditions (via QR code), seasonal avalanche/fire threats, shuttle/parking details, WiFi access, and park fees. Pre-designed templates integrate CMS content and live data feeds, displayed in both official languages.

Stacked digital signage showing content in both English and French.

Visitor centre staff assemble custom slideshows for each screen using the CMS. Standardized templates ensure that reliable, on-brand, updated information is displayed despite the park’s variable conditions. Some of the data feeds are automatic; for example, the information underpinning the local weather slide is pulled direct from Environment Canada.

Action Video Wall

Visitors pass a stacked two-screen video wall playing silent, looping POV footage of park experiences. The montage reflects diverse visitors of all ages and abilities, helping everyone see themselves in the adventures on display. EDM edited this custom loop from raw Parks Canada footage to fit the stacked aspect ratio, powered by our reliable custom media player.

Looping video of visitors active within the park.