Leading geoscience software company Seequent has launched a free 3D web application called 'Visible Geology', which it claims is a world-first. Seequent CEO Graham Grant said inspiring the next generation of earth scientists was critical in the fight to understand the planet’s resources and solve some of its most urgent and complex challenges.
"This is about bringing a highly simplified and conceptual approach to understanding the ground to students who are new to the field to lower the barrier to entry and make it easy to understand this amazing hidden world of the underground."
While geology is a foundational science for understanding the earth, there's concern graduate numbers in earth science are dropping significantly around the world. There's hope this free, no subscription required software might help encourage young people to learn about the key concepts of geology through an immersive and interactive experience.
"Everything we manufacture, make, consume in the world, including the internet, relies on the underground. And that's for water, heating, energy, the things we construct, the materials in our cellphone. And without earth scientists to understand the underground, these things can't be."
"As attention spans get shorter and there's more and more digital content. Ultimately, educators need to meet learners where they are, and that's in games and online spaces."
Rapp believes the collaboration's a great success story for the city.
And she's hoping the model of combining gaming with science could pave the way for more projects in the future, helping Christchurch's burgeoning tech industry make its mark on the global stage.
- By Geoff Sloan, made with the support of NZ On Air
