Message-ID: <afe08ffa01021004e262@[150.203.147.11]> Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 09:15:57 +1000 From: Vern Weitzel <mailto:vern@COOMBS.ANU.EDU.AU> Subject: OCEANOGRAPHIC EDUCATIONAL MOVIE: SURFING OUR SEAS To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
provided by Dr Eric Wolanski <mailto:ericw@ibm590.aims.gov.au>OCEANOGRAPHIC EDUCATIONAL MOVIE: SURFING OUR SEAS
This 20-min educational video movie was produced by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) with the support of IBM and UNESCO's IOC. This movie follows the life of a high school student to demonstrate the importance of the coastal ocean to him. In an innovative and highly entertaining way, the movie shows the student doing his homework on coastal seas. He interacts with his talking PC to surf a high tech Internet. While being entertained, he discovers the fascinating inner workings of coastal seas. He is progressively challenged by the computer to understand through science explained by computer animations that his future depends on understanding the seas. The animations are all based on actual study sites in estuaries, mangroves and coral reefs in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Papua New Guinea, China, Thailand and Malaysia. In the computer these examples are merged in a virtual sea to show the inner workings of coastal seas. Examples include dams effects on the coast, estuaries, mud dynamics, harbours, oil slicks, mangroves and prawns, coral reefs and fish larvae. In this way these examples are applicable to all nations facing the ocean.
Marine scientists deal with physics, chemistry and biology essentially speak their own technical jargon and each works in an isolated world; the movie demonstrates that computer visualisation enables them to share information and readily pass their knowledge to the public, in this way helping to ensure wise use of the sea. It also provides a powerful tool for teaching marine science in schools and universities.
The movie was the brainchild of Dr. Eric Wolanski. For information on how to buy this video, please contact Mr. Steve Clarke at e-mail address mailto:S_Clarke@aims.gov.au.