Over the past few months, the reverberating shockwaves of COVID-19 have forced much of the world into a state of isolated lockdown. As social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders come into effect around the globe, more and more people are finding themselves stuck indoors for weeks on end. The result has been the spread of a second, psychological pandemic: cabin fever.
Luckily, there’s a way to remedy your claustrophobia without going outdoors. The Hidden World of the National Parks, a joint project between Google Arts & Culture and America’s National Park Service, allows people to explore the wilderness from the comfort of their couches.
“Get outside, at home”, reads the site’s tagline. At the click of a cursor, users embark on immersive tours of places like Bryce Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. You can snorkel among Tortugan reefs, kayak through Alaskan glaciers, and enjoy a glorious view of the Bryce Canyon sunset on horseback – all while never setting a foot beyond your front door.
Nick Carbonaro, the project’s creative lead, describes the mesmerizing natural wonders exhibited by the project in a post on Google’s blog: “in the Kenai Fjords, the ice is so dense it forms blues brighter than the clear Alaskan sky above. The molten rock around the (very) active Kīlauea Volcano appears to swirl and move — and sometimes it really does!”
Jaw-dropping views aren’t the only thing on show. For those who want to satisfy their minds as well as their eyes, interactive exhibits, artifact collections, and guided tours of historic sites have also been made available for browsing. In addition, Google has created Hidden Worlds Expedition, an app for educators which allows them to bring virtual and augmented reality into the classroom.
Few people ever get the chance to visit the National Parks person. With COVID-19 infection rates continuing to rise worldwide, that chance looks slimmer than ever. However, this isn’t the time for pessimism. While the pandemic has caused disruption on a global scale, it’s also spurred a wave of renewed interest and innovation in the field of technology. Projects like this one are valuable tools for unity, joining people all around the world in shared experiences and creating connections in a time of turbulence.
