Exploring Vancouver's Infrastructure in VR

MDM Students are working with Metro Vancouver to enhance the public’s engagement with the region's services though an immersive VR experience.

We don’t often think about where our water comes from when we turn on the tap or where our garbage goes after we’ve dragged our bins to the curb. Behind the scenes, Metro Vancouver’s services provide a complex network of infrastructure that most people will never see. With the goal of cultivating a deeper connection between Metro Vancouver and its residents, Metro Vancouver collaborated with Master of Digital Media students to create a fun and engaging VR experience that educates people about the region’s infrastructure and services.

“When you put on the VR headset, you can navigate to multiple locations that showcase seven of Metro Vancouver’s rarely seen sites like the Second Narrows Water Supply Tunnel, and Waste-to-Energy facility,” says Charles Cao, Multimedia Designer, MDM student. “For example, you can experience a 360-degree video from inside a helicopter that gives you breathtaking views of the Coquitlam water supply area”.

One of the challenges the students faced was adapting storytelling techniques that plays to the strengths of a VR headset. This meant the team needed to tell a story that is visually compelling and educational in a 360-degree video format that includes music and voice-overs. “We’re really excited with what we built, and we can’t wait for people to experience Metro Vancouver’s often unseen infrastructure up close,” says Charles.

“By crafting an experience that brings residents into key Metro Vancouver facilities and areas across the region, we’re able to give users a sense of the scope and scale of the vital infrastructure that makes our region possible,” says Gordon Inglis, Multi-Media Division Manager at Metro Vancouver. “The students expertly designed an experience that is not only educational and technically impressive, but genuinely interesting and novel”.