VIOsEA - STARESO

VIOsEA: "VIrtual OcEAnography tour"

Découvrir l'Océanographie sans se mouiller

The virtual reality environment allows you to explore the Underwater and Oceanographic Research Station (STARESO) of the University of Liège in Calvi, Corsica: on land, under the sea, and aboard the brand-new oceanographic vessel. You will be able to move around freely and interact with certain equipment in a three-dimensional setting recreated as faithfully as possible, as well as immerse yourself in full panoramic photos and videos, from the dock, during a dive, or from a Zodiac, to compare your virtual experience with the real thing. In addition to discovering this exceptional site, your mission will be to carry out a few samples from the seabed or from the ship.

Why this project? At our institution, oceanography is a world-renowned field that has been developed for over 50 years. In the context of climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development, this discipline plays a key role in today’s societal debates. Water, fishing, ocean acidification, greenhouse gases, glacier melt, rising sea levels… all of these pressing issues that impact our economy and well-being are linked to the Ocean. The Master’s in Oceanography is a program offered by ULiège. No secondary school course bears this title, yet primary and secondary school pupils already brush against many aspects of the discipline: marine biology, meteorology and climate, tides, geology, and plate tectonics.

Liège is only 100 km from the nearest coast, but we are fortunate to have a research station (STARESO) in Corsica. Practicing oceanography requires scuba diving and/or boarding a specially equipped vessel.

In the field, weather conditions can prevent the planned activities of field courses from taking place, and trip organization must be constantly adapted. New students have little experience and varying swimming abilities, so we cannot expose them to risks, whether diving or at sea.

It is in this context that we developed the VIOsEA project: "Virtual Oceanography Tour", which enables our students, young pupils, and researchers to explore and engage in oceanography "without getting wet". The aim of the VIOsEA project is to create virtual training scenarios that allow:

1) Master’s students in Oceanography to immerse themselves in the marine environment (diving or aboard an oceanographic vessel) to become familiar with the practical aspects of the discipline;

2) Secondary school pupils and undergraduate students to discover the different facets of oceanography, from its academic curriculum to its professional practice.