The Southern Right Whale
The Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust has provided vital support for the public outreach element of southern right whale research voyage to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, led by Dr Emma Carroll and team at the University of Auckland.
During this voyage, photographer Richard Robinson and Arie Spyksma from New Zealand Geographic captured 360 degree virtual reality footage to connect people with the southern right whale through an immersive experience. This footage is now being used as an interactive learning tool in BLAKE’s VR school programme as a central part of their marine mammal lesson plan.
Seascape
Seascape is a public access geospatial marine modelling project produced by New Zealand Geographic with funding from Live Ocean Foundation and the Joyce Fisher Trust.
Seascape technology allows access to high resolution, photo-realistic, three dimensional seafloor maps, hundreds of metres in area. These maps can be shared with international researchers, allowing them to understand the modelled underwater environment like they were there. Images can be used as baselines for other key scientific questions in the future, as well as a public education tool.
“Our hope is that this insight leads better decision making, more robust science, and a public more engaged in the fate of the marine space” says James Frankham – New Zealand Geographic.
Project Kahurangi
Project Kahurangi is the first marine conservation visual library in Aotearoa, containing over 1,200 images and videos of New Zealand’s unique marine environment. Often the issues facing the ocean are hidden below the waterline, this library aims to bring it to the surface by providing compelling resources to connect people with the moana.
Through the Joyce Fisher Trust’s generous support, Project Kahurangi is available and free to use by all non-profit groups, educational institutions, Iwi/Hapu and Whanau Kaitiaki who require imagery for non-commercial ocean conservation use.
