Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to commonly asked questions about Virtual Planet Technologies, our climate visualization tools, and how we work with communities.
We help communities visualize and prepare for their climate future. Using immersive technology, we transform sea-level rise projections, flood models, wildfire risk, and storm surge data into experiences people can walk through, understand, and act on. Our tools—interactive web experiences, mobile apps, 360° videos, 2D films, and virtual reality—work on any device. No headset required for most projects. We've supported climate adaptation planning in 30+ communities, from Miami and Santa Cruz to tribal nations and NOAA marine sanctuaries. City planners, resource managers, and community leaders use our work to build consensus, advance climate equity, and accelerate resilience decisions.
We create immersive experiences showing climate impacts people can see and recognize: sea-level rise reaching your street, storm surge flooding critical infrastructure, wildfire approaching neighborhoods, extreme heat affecting vulnerable communities, drought changing landscapes. We also create experiences for conservation, ocean health, and mental health. Each experience is grounded in real places, built with local communities who know what matters.
No. Most climate visualization projects work on phones, tablets, or desktop computers—no VR headset required. For in-person events like community climate workshops, we offer virtual reality experiences using Meta Quest headsets. These create deeper immersion and support active learning. But accessibility comes first—if someone can open a web browser, they can step inside the experience.
Whatever works for the audience and context: interactive web experiences that run on any device; mobile apps people can use in the field; 360° video for public meetings; 2D documentary-style films; virtual reality when immersion matters and the audience has access; a portal into the future that meets people where they are. Technology serves the story, not the other way around.
Every experience is grounded in peer-reviewed climate research—NOAA sea level rise projections, USGS flood data, university climate models, local monitoring data. We work with coastal scientists, planners, engineers, and community experts to ensure what you see reflects both established climate science and local knowledge. In summary, we start with peer-reviewed climate research, incorporate local knowledge, and translate it into experiences people can understand.
Typical climate visualization projects take 2–6 months, depending on complexity, number of locations, depth of community engagement, and data availability.
- Discovery – Understanding your climate resilience goals, audience, and data needs.
- Co-creation – Built through co-creation with local partners to shape what the experience shows and how it's told.
- 3D Modeling & Development – Building the experience in the right format (web, mobile, 360°, VR).
- Review & Iteration – Technical validation with scientists and community feedback.
- Launch & Support – Web hosting, public event support, climate communication tools.
Local knowledge shapes the experience. The medium follows the message.
Yes. Every project is customized to reflect real local conditions—your topography, infrastructure, climate projections, and community priorities. Created with local partners to ensure it's accurate, locally relevant, and meaningful. See it for yourself: Stand on your own street during a flood. Watch storm surge reach your own infrastructure. Real places. Real scenarios.
Cities, NGOs, tribal nations, universities, community groups, consultants and engineering firms—anyone working to communicate climate risk and build resilience. We've worked with urban planners, coastal resource managers, community leaders, and residents from coastlines to city streets—Miami, Santa Cruz, San Francisco Bay, tribal lands, NOAA marine sanctuaries.
- Public workshops and community meetings – Help residents see future flooding and discuss adaptation options.
- Climate adaptation planning – Support decision-making so scenarios planners and staff can explore options.
- Climate resilience grant applications – Show funders what infrastructure you're trying to protect.
- Climate education & outreach – Teach sea level rise impacts in ways students and communities remember.
- Stakeholder engagement – Build consensus around flood protection and adaptation decisions.
- Support Vulnerability Assessments – Show with clear and compelling visuals which neighborhoods face the greatest climate risk.
Yes. We provide facilitation, on-site support, VR hardware, and customized climate communication strategies designed to help communities plan next steps. After someone sees flooding on their street, the next question is: what do we do about it?
Yes. Our content is designed around how people actually learn and process risk—intuitive, visually clear, mobile-friendly, and ADA-conscious. We focus on making complex climate information understandable for everyone, including people who don't understand traditional flood maps or technical climate reports. Experiences that improve understanding and recall in ways PDFs and static maps can't deliver.
Many projects include Spanish and English options for climate communication. Additional translations available. We use plain language in both English and Spanish—no overly formal language that sounds like government documents.
Every project is custom, depending on scope, number of locations, level of customization, and community engagement needs. We work with organizations of all sizes—from small pilot projects to comprehensive regional programs, and can help align projects with available grant funding from FEMA, NOAA, EPA, and state climate resilience programs. Contact us to discuss your goals and budget: info@virtualplanet.tech
Yes. We offer licensing options for select existing projects to reduce costs and timelines. Our tools are also free for individual use - explore sea level rise, flooding, and climate scenarios on your own. Contact us to discuss licensing for organizational use or to explore what's available for your coastal community.
Updates for new climate data and projections, scenario revisions, web hosting support, analytics, and climate communication strategy guidance. We're with you beyond launch.
Yes. Climate visualization experiences can be embedded directly into your city or organization website or hosted on Virtual Planet's secure platform. We make it easy for your community to access sea level rise, flooding, and climate adaptation information.
Contact us at info@virtualplanet.tech to schedule a discovery call. We'll explore your climate communication goals and recommend the best approach for your community.
Yes. We provide live demos, VR samples, and links to interactive climate experiences. Step inside the data: Experience 6 feet of sea-level rise, 15-foot storm surge, or wildfire approaching your neighborhood. See for yourself.
No, we take existing data from sources like NOAA sea level rise projections, USGS flood data, university climate models or local monitoring data and create the visualizations. We are climate communicators and visualizers, not researchers.