Virtualization Technologies for Sustainable Tourism: Adapting the Matterport 360 Platform to Showcase the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Tampa Bay, Florida 

Author

Brooke Hansen, Sophia Annis, Samantha Vorce, Jesse Coates,  Alison Farr

Keyword

sustainable tourism, geoinformatics, virtualization, SDGs, plastic pollution

Collections

World Sustainability Conference Papers

Format:

PDF

URL

https://greeninstitute.ng/visualization-technologies-for-sustainable-tourism-tampa-bay-florida

Abstract

Tourism is the number one industry in the State of Florida with no sign of declining, even with the challenges posed by the global pandemic. Known for its coastline, Florida may not be able to continue marketing pristine beaches if current levels of plastic pollution and harmful algae blooms continue. University of South Florida (USF) researchers have confirmed that over 4 billion microplastics in Tampa Bay and red tide outbreaks are the worst ever recorded along the Florida Gulf Coast. A USF faculty-led project with student interns focused on documenting plastic pollution and dead fish at a popular tourist site using 3D imaging and annotations with the Matterport 360 platform. Solutions promoting sustainable tourism were explored, including alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Virtualization technologies such as the Matterport 360 provide engaging ways to communicate threats to tourism viability and explore solutions.

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  • Creative Commons