Street science, the app that combines walking and knowledge

Rediscover Marseille another way with the free-to-download Street Science app on your smartphone. Developed by Pandaroo, it offers scientific, educational and fun treasure hunting in urban environments and uses augmented reality.

Thanks to the project implemented by Marie Villar, a plankton genome scientist, in partnership with the IRD, you can take a stroll downtown, the Old Port or the Panier area while spotting these microorganisms that live in the seas and oceans. All you have to do is follow the map and clues in Street Science and search for panels to scan directly on the app: you will then see Plankton appear in augmented reality, an explanatory sheet and a short quiz. A science outing in Marseille, fun for the whole family.

In the emblematic neighborhood of Le Panier with its street art-colored walls, on Fonderie Vieille you’ll find a mural created by artist Ciyo, a project supported by the IRD and the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO). Scanned with a street flag, the mural comes to life and several marine creatures, which vary depending on the day’s weather, are shown in augmented reality.

This innovative project tends to export to other cities with new routes created in Lyon and soon in Paris.