New Virtual Tour Brings Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to a Global Audience
January 26, 2025
Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center welcomed more than 33,000 visitors last fiscal year, but that number could grow into the millions following today’s launch of the Florida Keys Sanctuary Virtual Tour—a first-of-its-kind online platform made available to the public by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
“Sagenverse has given us a unique opportunity to share this extremely important ecosystem with people around the world, including students, educators, adventurers, researchers, and more,” said John Armor, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “We are optimistic that virtual access to our visitor center will inspire even more people to visit and explore the Florida Keys.”
“Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has some of the most fascinating and beautiful habitats,” said Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center Manager Kristina Agard. “Through this technology, the story and beauty of the sanctuary will spread even farther than we can imagine.”
The virtual tour is powered by Sagenverse, a team of developers from the gaming industry that specializes in building real-time, interactive experiences that load seamlessly on web pages or mobile devices. The tour guides visitors through a virtual environment as if they were experiencing the 6,000-square-foot Eco-Discovery Center in real time, before immersing them in interactive elements inspired by a Florida Keys mangrove ecosystem.
“This is an accessibility story, not a technology story,” said Sagenverse CEO Ben Mazza. “It’s now available to everyone across the globe, essentially opening up the power of a game engine without the need for extensive technical infrastructure.”
At the physical Eco-Discovery Center, located in Key West’s Truman Annex, guests can experience Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary without getting their feet wet. The facility features an array of exhibits, videos, and hands-on learning tools recreated in the virtual environment. The development of the virtual tour was made possible by a gift from a donor who values the Eco-Discovery Center’s educational mission.
“Humans are the best storytellers, and this is how we’ve communicated and passed down information for millennia,” Mazza said. “This is just another tool in that toolbox.”
The virtual tour delivers an educational, video-game-like experience that guides users through a series of stops and missions above and below the water on a mangrove island. When accessed on a mobile device, users can coax wildlife from its habitat and even snap a virtual selfie.
“We will spend the next year developing curriculum and lesson plans and getting them into the hands of our local teachers, then expanding statewide,” said Agard. “At the same time, I want people to be able to experience the places that make Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary special, no matter where they are in the world.”
Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center
Virtual Tour
Mangrove Key
Virtual Tour