The vEco team is currently focused on Phase I of the project: Tour Development. However, we hope to finish assembling a template showcase tour by February 2012, and intend to begin Beta testing of the project near that time. This blog post outlines three areas of focus and strategic development for the coming months, including the creation of brand new tours worldwide.
Phase II: Testing Tours
Main Objective: Once a template/showcase tour is in place, select key audiences to participate in Beta tour testing and feedback.
The perfection of a showcase tour will require extensive testing of each new technology and means of audience engagement.
The vEco team will be creating a toolkit of evaluation metrics including surveys, feedback roundtables, audience retention rate and the willingness of participants to donate funds to project development.
Phase III: Partnerships & the Creation of New Tours
Main Objective: As Virtual Ecotourism becomes more widespread, work with conservation groups worldwide to help create and promote new tours.
In Phase II, the vEco team will use the template tour to introduce the Virtual Ecotourism project to like-minded and passionate conservation groups around the world.
Creating a tour requires cutting edge digital technologies, including the creation of panoramic photos, the ability to record visual and audio multimedia, effective use of live audio streaming and a familiarity with 3D virtual worlds. Furthermore, tours must be creatively scripted and incorporate innovative audience engagement and participation through storytelling and dialogue.
Image: Kibale Women’s Group, Kibale, Uganda.
Therefore, the vEco team is committed to providing our partners with equipment, training and advice: a 21st century skill set including digital literacy, international exchange of ideas, and the effective communication of complex issues to a global audience.
The vEco team is excited to help further the cause of deserving wildlife conservation organizations and initiatives. We anticipate the creation of a creative and enthusiastic community surrounding virtual ecotourism, and hope that our system will become a widely-used tool for conservation.
Phase III.5: Finding Audiences
Main Objective: Help partner organizations promote tours, and create an enthusiastic and engaged Virtual Ecotourism community online.
Tour experiences can be tailored to elementary school groups, high-school and university students, armchair travellers and even conservation professionals to deliver level-appropriate learning challenges.
As well as promoting tours to a general audience through social media, blogs and other online outreach strategies, the vEco team will be exploring the possibility of bringing the Virtual Ecotourism experience to classrooms by partnering with teachers and other educators.
Finally, we hope to help conservation organizations reach a new audience of digitally engaged individuals who might not otherwise be familiar with environmental issues.
Image: A Youth Environmental Group in the Kibale National Park, Uganda.
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