Berwickshire Marine Reserve

The Berwickshire Marine Reserve was established in the 1980s to protect the remarkable coastal waters between Eyemouth and St Abbs Head. This area of the Scottish coastline is home to a remarkable mix of marine life, including grey seals, bottlenose dolphins, and minke whales. Underwater kelp forests are home to many species of fish and extraordinary creature such as sea urchins, starfish, and sea slugs. To highlight the diversity of underwater habitats the Berwickshire Marine Reserve collaborated with the University of St Andrews’ Open Virtual Worlds team and Smart History on a digital representation of three different marine environments. The team digitally represented a kelp forest, a sandy sea-floor, and a more rocky marine environment. The underwater models were informed by a Seabed Interpretation Project undertaken by the University of St Andrews and Blue Marine Foundation. Previews of the digital environments can be viewed on YouTube. A fuller virtual reality experience has been created for use at St Abbs Visitor Centre and to demonstrate at schools and community events. The project received funding from the Scottish Borders Local Action Group.

Iain Oliver, Alan Miller

Richard Bates (University of St Andrews)

A digital landscape was created using survey data and height map. Models were created in 3D modelling programs and imported into UNREAL (a cross-platform game engine for creating virtual worlds). The models were then scaled, orientated and assembled. The landscapes were populated with flora and fauna. Where applicable, models of characters and animals were imported and animated.