NOTE: The best way to experience these experiences is via our iOS / Android app.
After months of work, the immersive project based on ProPublica and The Texas Tribune’s investigation into the vulnerability of the Houston Ship Channel is now live: Hell and High Water VR.
As part of a USC Annenberg hackathon-style class, JOVRNALISM students went down to the Houston area for Spring Break 2016 to conduct original reporting and produce a series of immersive experiences based on the investigation.
From simulating a 30-foot storm surge to looking at the homes of hurricane survivors, this project pushes the industry forward in defining what Virtual Reality Journalism should be.
The students merged live-action, 360 video with CG/Unity development to produce these scientifically backed experiences. They even innovated a new technique that reproduces photogrammetry within Google Earth to create accurate 3D models of real places.
You can see these experiences now via the newly launched JOVRNALISM app, which is the recommended experience. Through the app you can view it solely via your phone or paired with a VR headset like Google Cardboard. Download the app: For Apple/iOS http://bit.ly/jovrnalism-ios and for Android http://bit.ly/jovrnalism-android
In addition to the custom app, you can also experience this project via YouTube by going to this URL via your phone’s browser: https://tr.im/hahwvr (This link should launch the YouTube app on your phone.)
Lastly, you can see the project via your desktop browser through this video playlist. (Your browser must have WebGL enabled to get the 360 experience.)
This is a companion piece to the great investigative work written by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. Please read their work here: https://projects.propublica.org/houston/
In addition to that collaboration, this project could not be done without the support of Google News Lab, Mettle, Radiant Images and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Crucial work to make this project happen was also produced with assistance from Ben Kreimer and Jonathan Yomayuza.
This project was produced by these USC students: Ariba Alvi, Jason Cheng, Crystal Goss, Cristian Guzman, Melody Jiang, David Merrell, Kaitlyn Mullin, Jason Suh, Kevin Tsukii and Serhan Ulkumen. Led by USC Annenberg Prof. Robert Hernandez.
