Envisioning flooded future landscapes in AR

Flood risks are often described by their likelihood of occurring in a year. A ‘1 in 100 year’ flood means there’s a 1% chance it could happen in any year. A ‘1 in 1000 year’ flood means there’s only a 0.1% chance of it happening in a year. Each scenario, although rare, shows how much damage can occur due to flooding – and with climate change, what used to be a 1 in 1000 year event could happen much more often.

Zubr’s expertise in turning complex technical information into easily digestible, accessible content for people from all backgrounds made us the ideal fit for this project. Our simulations empower users to explore abstract data interactively at their own pace, enabling them to visualise and interpret scientific information with ease. For example, graphs indicating water depth and sea level can be challenging for non-experts to contextualise. Our video simulations and AR depictions bring this data to life for users, illustrating its potential impact on the world around them.

This project aims to achieve three key goals: raising community awareness and understanding of climate change and flood risks by presenting scientific data in an accessible and compelling format; leveraging AR and 4D simulations to create immersive experiences that leave a lasting impression and actively engage participants; and supporting community initiatives to strengthen resilience against future climate-related events, aligning with the UK’s property flood resilience efforts. Together, these goals drive our mission to inform, involve, and empower communities in the face of environmental challenges.

To maximise efficiency and ensure the greatest return on investment for our client, we chose to model a specified area of the coastline which we could then ‘flood’ to differing water levels. We developed a detailed 3D environment of the 4 square kilometre area covering Longrock Beach and Mount’s Bay, displaying different sea levels to clearly communicate the impact of climate change and flood risks. Whilst using real world data as a basis for our 3D modelling was both time and cost effective, it more importantly ensured that strong scientific fact underpinned our 3D recreation. The resulting 3D environment gave us a strong foundation to simulate the potential flood risks.

Users will quickly discover that the model is alive; with rippling water, animated grass, and even miniature clouds passing. The aerial view in augmented reality allows users to physically move closer to the model, bending down for a closer look, and walk around the space to see different angles.

Now, CPD attendees can vividly see the dramatic way the landscape changed 8,000 years ago – a stark warning for what could happen if climate change continues. By highlighting familiar landmarks but giving users a ‘cormorant’s eye view’, they can better understand the extent of the damage which will occur should the coastline remain undefended. This incentivises CPD participants to put what they learn on the course into practice, to actively protect and adapt their local environments, ensuring that they play a critical role in mitigating the impacts of climate change for future generations.

We utilised all available terrain data, including GIS and LiDAR scans, alongside bathymetric data to inform the terrain modelling. Flood inundation rasters and predicted wave heights also informed the modelling of each flood. Using this geographic data added a level of authenticity to the model, rooting it in the real world.

Aerial photography of ground surfaces and flora from the area provided us with reference material and textures to ensure that the model looks as close as possible to its real life counterpart. The result is that the overall scale model is highly accurate as it is derived from LiDAR data, but zooming in to get a close up view of key features also provides a realistic representation due to our careful 3D modelling of ground surfaces, flora and fauna.

Our 3D artists also utilised blendshapes to morph the terrain from prehistoric to modern day over time. Whilst the waves were more tricky to create, our 3D artists created a single blendshape which controlled the height of the wave in the project. The main advantage of this approach is that the developers can easily control wave height dynamically in the project for all of the varying flood scenarios.

Making a versatile 3D scene which can be deployed for AR, VR or web results in the greatest possible breadth of digital accessibility and future proofing. This approach also ensures interactivity, offering a range of mediums for users to engage with – whether this be a ‘zoom in’ model with insightful ‘hotspots’, or a captivating video with an educational message. Featuring such a vital message, it was paramount that the augmented reality flood experience be as accessible as possible.