Earthwave applied to the Resident Entrepreneur programme in 2002 (Round 8). Their project centred on the further development of their 4D Earth Experience which brings together real-world data, to show environmental changes in innovative and more relatable ways than ever before.
In an earlier proof of concept, they had focused on a section of Antarctica, showing the interactions between ice, ocean and the atmosphere. Besides the ability to render 4D datasets dynamically, the existing software contained a prototype VR interface, a wealth of interactive features to interact with the environment and elements such as sound, text and audio to narrate immersive stories. It had been demonstrated in front of members of the public in different environments including Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth as well as scientific conferences, with very positive feedback and great interest from story-creators as well as story consumers.
For the Resident Entrepreneur project, Earthwave wanted to take the4D Earth Experience a step further and explored new datasets and stories to extend the experience to more regions of the earth. As well as the technical development of the story builder interface, the team took time to focus on market and audience research, for which they found the mentoring aspect of the RE project a welcome resource.
Working with PR and Marketing expert Andrew Field, they devised a new communications strategy and began building a crucial relationship with key science journalists, decision-makers and commentators.
