A new WebVR experience launched this month is teaching users about air pollution around the planet.
There’s Something in the Air is a VR data visualization experience created by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Brookline Interactive Group (BIG), The Public VR Lab, and Datavized Technologies. It uses VR to present viewers with a globe that they can spin to see different pollution statistics for different countries and a slider so they can cycle through data from 1990 – 2015.
As narration at the start of the experience suggests, the piece is best viewed in the HTC Vive, though also works well with smartphone-based devices (or even just your normal browser). Poles extend from each country’s landscape, their height and color indicating the amount of pollution they produced in the given year. Furter narration and explanations also accompany certain countries. It’s a pretty accessible means of getting a glimpse of how the world if coping with cutting down on pollution.
“This experience demonstrates how big data and VR can be used together to create an immersive environment for increased understanding and enhanced communication of real-world challenges,” Debra Anderson, co-founder of Datavized Technologies, said in a prepared statement. “We are delighted Datavized geospatial software products and mapping technologies are being used as powerful tools for environmental education, awareness and impact.”
