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The latest issue of Systems Contractor News features a “Systems Snapshot” on our Carousel digital signage installation at Union Depot. This was an immense project, expertly designed, programmed and integrated by our friends at Tierney Brothers.

The Union Depot in downtown St. Paul has had its share of tribulations (including a devastating fire in 1913), but always rises from the ashes. Its latest rebirth includes a lively digital signage network that incorporates local information, wayfinding and various transit schedules into branded, active displays.

One fascinating aspect is how Tierney and Union Depot came together to merge the past with the future, integrating Carousel across multiple historic wooden cabinets. Tierney’s expert wiring and mounting work ensured that the character of the cabinets was retained while helping Union Depot step into the digital domain.

“Because Union Depot is on the historic registry of buildings, there are certain things we could not do,” said Austin Madsen, network engineer at Tierney. “That required some careful workarounds in the design and implementation.”

In the end, Tierney upgraded 22 historical cabinets featuring Carousel for non-interactive channels, along with six interactive kiosks that allow travelers to explore information about local restaurants, shopping centers events and more. Carousel’s flexible programming environment and exceptional content management system ensured that the variety of content required for this active transportation center would integrate seamlessly – along with providing the high visual quality required to attract audiences.

“This is a real-time information system that adapts the Metro Transit feed so that it is fully integrated with the signage platform,” said Madsen. “Carousel’s data adapters were critical to that success.”