Tag Archives: SGG

Hull University Science Festival with @SeriousGeoGames

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It’s that time of year again, one of the most exciting times of the year for me. This weekend, on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th, is the Hull University Science Festival. It’s my fourth time presenting an exhibit here, and it’s come a long way. This year, I will be leading a team of helpers with an exclusively SeriousGeoGames exhibit – on behalf of the Department of GEES.

In 2013, when the event was called the Science Showcase and took part in Hull Town Hall, I was inexperienced (still to submit my thesis!), and was asked to present the Dynamic Humber Project I was employed on. Our exhibit was not very good, composing a stale poster and an informative, but not very interesting, presentation we had to project on to the ceiling! We were later joined on the ceiling by the plastic balls from Becky Williams’ awesome liquid nitrogen volcano demonstration!

My Mother-in-law, Beverley, trying Humber in a Box

In 2014, I stepped up my game a little and so did the event. The first true Hull University Science Festival, we were housed in a large marquee on Campus. I presented a hacked version of the Humber CAESAR-Lisflood model, with a slider to raise sea level – it was the precursor to Humber in a Box. The participants found it interesting when they used it, but many people bypassed us as we were sandwiched between a 3D Printer and HIVE – to be honest, I would have done the same.

My favourite ever interaction came during this event, which went something like this –

Me – You move the slider and you raise the sea level in the Humber.

Schoolgirl 1 – (With full sincerity) In real life?

Me – (Struggling to come up with a reply) No, just in the model.

Schoolgirl 2 – (Said in a way only a close friend could) Don’t worry about her, she’s really thick.

I’m not sure you can every really train or prepare yourself for conversations like this! She wasn’t “thick” as her friend cruelly suggested, and I am constantly blown away by how bright and engaged the school pupils who visit us are – it really is a joy explaining our science to them.

Last year, I had Humber in a Box at my disposal for the first time. The exhibit I was part of also featured the River in a Box mini-flume, and the this and the excitement of the VR headset ensured a busy couple of days!

Now in 2016, we will be presenting Humber in a Box, but also Flash Flood! for the first time. We have be demonstrating the application on a large TV, and you’ll get the chance to explore our virtual river valley. We will also have some of the field equipment used to make the application on display. I’m really proud of Flash Flood! and am very excited about demonstrating it in public for the first time.

Looking forward to seeing you there! Details here.

Flash Flood! from @seriousgeogames

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As I have a brief hiatus whilst I wait for ArcMap to select a few million Lidar points, I thought I would share a post from the SeriousGeoGames blog. It’s all about the new application I’m developing with BetaJester Ltd.

“Flash Flood! Our new project with @BetaJesterLtd #MadewithUnity

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We are pleased to announce that we have started working with developers from BetaJester on our latest project, Flash Flood!

Flash Flood! is being produced as part of the Flash Flooding from Intense Rainfall (FFIR) research programme, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and is designed to highlight the destructive power of flash floods. This work has taken particular significance in light of the recent flooding in the UK over December.”

Read the full post, here.

 

FULL Humber in a Box Demo Video (@SeriousGeoGames)

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I anticipated it would be much harder and take much longer for me to make a full video demonstration of Humber in a Box. Actually, once I got the hang of things it was pretty straight forward. I even managed to record audio with my phone and add that to it too.

The video shows the basic functionality of Humber in the Box, demonstrating the graphics, as viewed in an immersive VR environment, and how the CAESAR-Lisflood model behind is calculating the tidal flows. The second part shows the sea level change function, increasing the water level by 1m in line with predictions for 100 years in the future. This is shown to not be as dramatic as other methods of showing the effects of future sea level rises, as it accounts for the flood defences in place (don’t forget, these will be significantly improved and raised also).

Part three gets into the hypothetical, looking at a 10m high tsunami wave travelling down the estuary. It is very dramatic, but really isn’t much of a possibility in the Humber. Finally, the video shows what would happen if all of the planet’s ice instantaneously melted, adding 74m to sea level.

You will, of course, need a Google Cardboard, or a VISR, or similar, to view this video in the way it is intended. Hopefully, before long I will be able to produce a 2D equivalent but I don’t have a version of Humber in a Box to achieve this yet. Hope you enjoy, and I really would appreciate any feedback or comments you might have.

Google Cardboard Demo for Humber in a Box (@SeriousGeoGames)

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I’ve been playing around with getting a Humber in a Box demo up on YouTube, intended for view using a Google Cardboard headset. I’ve got a first test after much faffing around.

I used some freeware to record off my desktop, but as the video needs to be high quality (both resolution and framerate), it’s rather limited. After the clip reached 4GB it keeps looping back, so about 2 minutes is my limit. I can get around this by recording lots of clips and stitching them together later.

To view the clip, start this video on your smartphone and place it within the Google Cardboard. Simple really.

The final video will have an audio track with my commentary over it, explaining what the simulation is and what it is showing. Still, it’s much better in person and I hope to bring you some exciting news in that area soon!

Potential of Google Cardboard for GEES and @SeriousGeoGames

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I recently got hold of a Google Cardboard. Essentially, it is a piece of folded cardboard, a couple of cheap lenses and an elasticated strap. You fold it into shape – this takes a couple of minutes, it’s dead easy – and voila, it’s built. Next you take your smartphone, download the Google Cardboard App, or other supported App, and then slot your phone into the headset turning it into a very cheap VR headset.

Cardboard1

My assembled Google Cardboard (smartphone not included)

I’ve tried a few things – it is really easy and just so very effective. It works a treat. All it does is display two images on your phone and splits them so one goes into your right eye and the other into your left, giving you the illusion of a 3D environment – it is rather different to the 3D you get at the cinema. Using the VR Cinema App you can view 2D videos on your phone, and although it doesn’t make them 3D it does give you an incredible view.

I’ve found that rather than using the Apps, the best features are videos you find on Youtube which have been filmed in the split image format – just maximise them and view them via the Cardboard. I think this is the way we will go with Humber in a Box rather than building a phone App – a video on Youtube would be so much simpler and just as effective.

Humber in a Box 1

The split screen view used to visualise Humber in a Box in 3D

I can see these being the way forward if you want to use VR as a teaching tool. The Oculus isn’t as expensive as most people think but is still >£350 a unit, whilst the Cardboard, or alternatives such as Hull-based VISR, are £10-20. They need a smartphone, but I imagine most students have one, and a lot can be achieved without specialist Apps.