Newsletter 
Google has teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund and Condition One to celebrate World Oceans Day with at least one new VR experience available in VR on YouTube and in Google Earth. The project was conducted as part of the search giant’s Daydream Impact initiative, which is dedicated to initiating changes in the world through VR. As part of that goal, this year’s Oceans Day is centered around the processes seafood goes through as it moves from the ocean and other waterways to the market and the dinner table. In particular, the group wanted to highlight the fact that the supply chain is remarkably inefficient – with as much as 35 percent of fish and seafood never making it to the journey’s end. The VR documentary takes viewers through that supply chain from the boat through the food processing itself and all the way to consumption. Although Google cardboard, Daydream, or another VR platform may be the best way to watch the documentary, it can also be watched on YouTube itself. A more complete experience is also available via Google earth in any browser.
Not content to stop there, Google has a couple of other experiences ready just in time for Oceans Day which are also in Google Earth. One of those is a joint effort between the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Google Earth Voyager content creators. That has culminated in a wealth of information about the marine wildlife inhabiting the world’s oceans, with a more direct focus on humpback whales and their ecosystem. Users can listen to whalesong as part of that experience, too. Last but not least, the company is highlighting its partnership with NASA on its Waterways from Space series of images. Those are images taken by NASA scientists and researchers aboard the International Space Station, in addition to satellites. As the name implies, the focus of those is on various oceans, rivers, and lakes as viewed from Space.
The obvious goal of this project is to get viewers to be more thoughtful about the impact people have on the world’s oceanic ecosystems. As with prior projects the company has undertaken in a similar vein, that makes it a great fit for the day its meant to honor. Although the underlying tone is a bit more direct than some of those have been in the past, all of the imagery, sounds, and storytelling are extremely well done. So it’s certainly well worth a look.
Watch Ocean To Plate In Google Earth
