National Geographic’s new ground-breaking expedition will launch on the 17th of August and last until the first week of September.This 2014 adventure will take place in one of the world’s richest wilderness areas located in Botswana, known as the Okavango Delta. For the first time ever, however, a team of National Geographic explorers – consisting of scientists, artists, writers, photographers, baYei River Bushmen and engineers – will be sharing their every move via satellite broadcasts. This means we will get to see what the team sees in real-time and actually learn about their scientific research while it’s being conducted.
Throughout the course of this event, survey data will also be collected to better protect and monitor the biodiversity of this important area. This information will then be uploaded live, so that viewers from all around the world can follow the project’s progress. Additionally, an automated system will be taking photographs and recording sound, as well as monitoring heart beat.
By far the coolest part of this project, however, is its interactive features. Anyone can analyze, visualize or utilize the data that is collected. Scientists, for example, can use aspects of the research in their own publications. The main goal is to allow for viewers to experience the same adventure by getting them actively involved and watching – witness the team weave their way through lagoons and floodplains, while simultaneously reading their live tweets.
By doing so, we can get finally get a glimpse into the life on one of Africa’s least accessible landscapes. After all, flipping through National Geographic is great, but watching an adventure unfold on screen is 10x better.
Click here, to learn more about this project. Midway through the expedition, you can also join the team for a live video chat via Google+ Hangout on Air at 10:00am EDT on Friday, August 22, 2014.
