Case Study
This Ocean Conservation Trust Case Study has been produced to highlight a partnership that exemplifies the transformative power of virtual reality (VR) in the realm of conservation and education.
Introduction
The Ocean Conservation Trust is a charity formed over 25 years ago to showcase some of the amazing habitats and animals found in a healthy and vibrant ocean, prioritising marine conservation and environmental education. They engage in various initiatives to raise awareness about the importance of preserving ocean ecosystems.
After previously being supplied with headsets from another VR provider, they were unimpressed. This was until they got in touch with us and we supplied them with a 10 User Pico G3 Kit. After experiencing a device like the Pico G3, their perception changed and they recognised VR as the excellent immersive learning tool that it can be. They also made use of our custom branding services, to brand and personalise each headset with their organisation’s logo.
Implementing VR
The Ocean Conservation Trust initially began using VR in their formal education programmes to help school children feel immersed in the ocean environment. They then started using VR for community-based projects, allowing people who would typically be excluded from accessing the Ocean to be able to see it in all its beauty.
One of the main projects the trust works on is their Ocean for All programme, where they take virtual reality into different settings, such as care homes, sheltered accommodation and hospital wards. They said that implementing VR has been fairly straightforward and allows them to immerse users in an environment that is typically difficult to access. People can get up close and personal with their favourite sea creatures that live at the National Marine Aquarium, without having to get wet!
In the following video, BBC Radio Bristol cover the Ocean Conservation Trust’s visit to Weston Hospicecare.
Software & Content
After being supplied with their headsets preconfigured with ShowtimeVR, the trust used them for their Ocean For All programme. They used Showtime VR to run the headsets all at once to create a seamless delivery of the videos, allowing a whole group to experience the footage at the same time. They have been using their own content, filmed inside the tanks at the National Marine Aquarium and the habitats in Plymouth Sound National Marine Park.
The Benefits of VR
The Ocean Conservation Trust have said that for many of their users, the main thing it lets them do is experience an environment that they’ve never been inside of. Experiences such as diving can be a privileged one and isn’t accessible to everyone. It has allowed them to feel the immense positive well-being benefits of being in a blue space and has increased sociability as it acts as a conversation starter between people.
The Trust said that they would recommend RedboxVR to other organisations. They said that the technology is invaluable as it allows users to operate the headsets from a tablet, without having to connect to internal wifi. The charity is out and about with their headsets all over the southwest, so being able to just plug into a power source and go is exactly what they needed. The kit provides a hassle-free experience, one that can get underway very quickly, allowing more time for fun and learning.
A New Experience
The Trust recently visited Weston Hospicecare, a hospice in Weston-Super-Mare. One of the patients said “I never thought I would get to experience something like this as I have always been scared of the Ocean. It’s been overwhelming (in a good way) to be able to do this”.
“Being able to take the Ocean to anyone is a core part of our Ocean Conservation strategy, and allows people to fall in love with the Ocean through experiencing it in an immersive way.
By using virtual reality, we are able to remove some of the key barriers to accessing the Ocean and allow people to get up close and personal with their favourite sea creatures, and feel more connected to the issues that Ocean faces. RedboxVR allows us to do that in a simple but effective way, anywhere with power!”
- Freyja Thomson-Alberts, Ocean Engagement Manager
RedboxVR’s collaboration with The Ocean Conservation Trust exemplifies the transformative power of VR in education. By supplying high-quality Pico G3 headsets and incorporating branding elements, RedboxVR not only addressed the client’s initial dissatisfaction but also contributed to a more effective and impactful educational initiative.
The success of this collaboration underscores the potential of VR in driving positive change and creating meaningful connections between individuals and important causes.
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