City with hot air ballons
(Credit: REUTERS/Karim Sahib )

Dr. Juliano Calil, Center for the Blue Economy Senior Fellow and Adjunct Faculty at the Middlebury Institute, is getting some press for his recent creation of “Sea Level Rise Explorer.”

The article, written by Mounir Kabbara and published in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, looks at big data, artificial intelligence, block chain, 3D printing, and mixed reality tech (aka virtual reality). 

From the article: 

Virtual reality is a powerful and engaging tool to highlight the effects of climate change and help cities to identity priority communities to receive climate adaptation, economic development and risk reduction investments.

The Californian city of Santa Cruz, known as a leader in coastal planning, is making use of VR technology in its public outreach efforts. It is working with the Center for the Blue Economy and its 3D VR product “Sea Level Rise Explorer”.  (Note of Correction—this product is not from the Center for the Blue Economy, but the brainchild of Dr. Juliano Calil and his team at Virtual Planet.)

The first phase of the project allows the user to visualize the effects of climate change, including a 2.4-feet sea level rise and a 100-year storm. The next phase of the project will involve 3D models of proposed adaptation actions. Santa Cruz has used this technology to raise awareness in its community about the dangerous effects of climate change.

Cities can further leverage mixed reality technology to visualize possible scenarios and solutions, and make better decisions on climate action. It can also encourage buy-in from their citizens.

For More Information

Read the full article:  5 Ways Cities Can Use Emerging Technology to Fight Climate Change