Geography PhD creates virtual environment for coastal planning project
Today, Rob Newell will walk across the convocation stage with his PhD in Geography, the final steps in a research project that involved a lot of virtual and real-world walking. For his research, Newell applied cutting-edge technology to develop a virtual reality experience that takes visitors on a tour of Sidney Spit park, over land and underwater, using visualization tools. The software Newell deveolped will be useful for park planning and public engagement.
"When reviewing research around people and place, it occurred to me that I have a strong attachment to the Pacific Northwest," explains Newell, "I love the coniferous trees, the ocean and trails, and with such a connection it becomes easy to see the importance of planning the use of parks together."
Newell not only builds virtual models of Vancouver Island landscapes, but also explores them in the real-world. After submitting his dissertation, Newell completed a sixteen day trek from Victoria to Port Hardy (552km). Read the full story here.