Online visit of the Museum of Natural Sciences
Since Tuesday 13 September, the Google Arts & Culture platform, in collaboration with some of the most popular natural science institutions in the world, enable visitors, in just a few seconds, to discover the most impressive specimens and appreciate the great diversity of the world with the help of virtual reality.
Through the initiative of the Google Arts & Culture platform and a few natural science institutions around the world, visitors can now virtually admire the treasures of more than 50 museums in 16 countries. The list includes the Natural Science Museum of Belgium, the permanent exhibition rooms of which are available to all visitors. They can engage in an online experience and stroll around the Museum at their own pace.
Thus, almost 200 specimens and archive documents have been brought together, as well as exhibitions developed mainly for this initiative: "Past, Present and Future: the Marvels of Evolution", "The Bernissart Iguanodons", "From Sahelanthropus to Homo sapiens: What Did our Predecessors Look Like?" and "Our 250 Years of Natural Sciences". The exhibitions contain texts, photos, videos and Street Views in the three national languages, as well as in English in order to better understand the beauty of the wonders of the world from the comfort of your own home with just one click. This experience, entitled "A Short Guided Tour" is accessible to all via the Google Arts & Culture mobile app.
The Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium, which the Museum is a part of, also hosts schools with the Google Expeditions app. This offers teachers and their pupils the opportunity to embark on a virtual school trip and discover museums, on land, in the sea or in space. It comprises 360° virtual reality panoramas and detailed 3D images and questions in order to help complete the school curriculum. The app also offers a behind-the-scenes view and the chance to meet the Institute's scientists.
Disseminating scientific knowledge and making the various collections accessible to the public are just some of the objectives of the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium. The Internet has become a key tool for making the Museum more accessible.
This new project is open to the public free of charge via g.co/naturalhistory on the Internet and via the Google Arts & Culture mobile app. 360° degree videos are also available on YouTube.