Immersive environments and particularly Virtual Reality (VR) is providing exciting new ways of seeing our world. The challenge though is, how to use such environments to solve large scale problems, and make this world a better place. At the Queensland University of Technology, ARC Excellence Centre for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, we combine visual and statistical capabilities to make that change to happen. In late October, we sent our team of scientists to Amazon in Peru, to capture data using various stereo cameras, 360-degree cameras, and 360-degree sound systems. Having such recordings, we can now bring the forest to the experts through Virtual Reality interfaces, and elicit information to gain insight into the problem of interest, which in our case is to map presence of jaguars thought the Peruvian Amazon. The project effectively links together modelling with visualization, 360-degree film, and VR. For more information please visit http://vis.stats.technology.

1. VIRTUAL REALITY FOR CONSERVATION
Tomasz Bednarz, June Kim, Ross Brown, Allan James, Kevin Burrage, Sam Clifford, Jacqueline David, Kerrie Mengersen, Erin Peterson, Steven Psaltis, Julie Vercelloni
Immersive environments and particularly Virtual Reality (VR) is providing exciting new ways of seeing our world. The challenge though is, how to use
such environments to solve large scale problems, and make this world a better place. At the Queensland University of Technology, ARC Excellence
Centre for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, we combine visual and statistical capabilities to make that change to happen. In late October, we
sent our team of scientists to Amazon in Peru, to capture data using various stereo cameras, 360-degree cameras, and 360-degree sound systems.
Having such recordings, we can now bring the forest to the experts through Virtual Reality interfaces, and elicit information to gain insight into the
problem of interest, which in our case is to map presence of jaguars thought the Peruvian Amazon. The project effectively links together modelling
with visualization, 360-degree film, and VR. For more information please visit http://vis.stats.technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti5rFSuk08M
Approx. 35 hours
from Brisbane – Sydney –
Santiago, Chile –
Lima, Peru –
to Pucallpa, Peru
Approx. 12 hours
Pucallpa – Camito, Amazon, Peru
Venture to the Peruvian Amazon
Modelling
The results from models developed in the project can then be used to decide which
parcels of land should be purchased and set aside for the use of jaguars, both as
habitat and as movement corridors between habitats. For example, the Bayesian
Network (see Figure on the left) is able to model quite complex behaviour with a
collection of variables which are assumed to influence and be influenced by a small
number of variables. The complex interrelationships between variables are
represented using probabilistic relationships. Once the Bayesian Network has been
built, it’s possible to simulate different scenarios to see how sensitive the suitability
of land is to changes in the variables, and therefore determine which variables have
the most influence.
Technology
The following hardware was used in the field trip (see Figure on the right): Stereo camera (Dual
Hero System with 2x GoPro Hero 3+ installed), 360-degree cameras (Freedom 360 Explorer+ with
6x GoPro Hero 4 installed, 2x Ricoh Theta M, 2x Kodak SP360), IR camera (Reconyx XR6 Ultrafire
(infra-red, motion sensing trap camera), sound (Zoom H2n Handy Recorder with Brahama
ambisonic microphone, Olympus VN-733PC), Virtual Reality gear (Samsung GearVR, Samsung
Galaxy S6, Google Cardboard), GPS (Garmin 64ST GPS System).
Jaguar Virtual Reality App
Monitoring through Many Eyes: Protecting Great Barrier Reef