1. Towards Enhanced Understanding and Experience of Landforms, Geohazards, and Geoheritage through Virtual Reality Technologies in Education: Lessons from the GeoVT Project
- Author
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Vittoria Vandelli, Piotr Migoń, Ylva Palmgren, Evangelos Spyrou, Giannis Saitis, Maria Eleni Andrikopoulou, Paola Coratza, Mohand Medjkane, Carmen Prieto, Konstantinos Kalovrektis, Candide Lissak, Alexandros Papadopoulos, Nikos Papastamatiou, Niki Evelpidou, Olivier Maquaire, Sarantos Psycharis, Arjen P. Stroeven, and Mauro Soldati
- Subjects
virtual reality ,geo-education ,virtual field trips ,coastal geomorphology ,landslides ,palaeoglaciology ,Geology ,QE1-996.5 - Abstract
Virtual reality is a technological development that, among others, has revolutionized Earth sciences. Its advantages include an opportunity to examine places otherwise difficult or impossible to access and it may also become an important component of education, fostering a better understanding of processes and landforms, geohazard awareness, and an appreciation of geoheritage. This paper reports on the GeoVT project, which aims to create a platform to build and disseminate Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) focused on geomorphology, natural hazards associated with geomorphological processes, and geoheritage sites. To put the GeoVT project in context, an overview of applications of VR in geosciences is provided. This paper subsequently proceeds with a presentation of the project and the GeoVT Authoring application, which is an innovative platform designed to help teachers and students, followed by brief presentations of a number of VFTs developed within the project. They address themes such as fluvial landforms and valley development, coastal landforms, evidence of past glaciation, coastal erosion, wildfire effects, mud volcanoes, and landslides.
- Published
- 2024
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