In 2015, the County had the opportunity to do something that had never been tried before: combining cutting-edge technology, scientific data, and an innovative virtual reality viewer to create a way to “see” what sea level rise will look like over time at one particular Marin location, as well some adaptation strategies that might protect that area in the future.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) asked the County of Marin to team up with several partners, principally the non-profit Climate Access and OWLIZED, a local company that designed a virtual reality viewer that FEMA wanted to test. These viewfinders are modeled after the classic coin-operated binoculars commonly found at scenic viewpoints. (They’re nicknamed “OWLs” because, well, they look a little like owl faces.) Because they’re interactive, people can express their response to what they see and leave additional comments about their thoughts.
The two OWLs were installed along the Sausalito-Mill Valley multi-use path near Tamalpais High School, right next to the marsh along Richardson’s Bay. This site was chosen because of its high visibility, its proximity to schools and Miller Avenue, and the high-usage of the path.
These viewers offer passersby a 360-degree view of current conditions with no flooding, King Tide flooding that we already experience at that location, and the expected impacts of sea level rise in the very location where people were standing Over the four month period that the OWLs were in use, there were over 3,700 unique visitors, and many shared their thoughts after viewing what sea level rise would look like in that location.
This pilot project was carefully designed to test the effectiveness of this technology as a method to actively engage the public about sea level rise. The experiment lasted from May through September, 2015, and was followed by a community workshop a month later in October at the Mill Valley Community Center where the project results were shared with the public, including community members and elected officials. You can view the workshop and read the final research report.