CNL-TN-2026-009: Macroscope Virtual Field Explorer
Published: January 18, 2026Version: 2
Abstract
This document specifies the Macroscope Virtual Field Explorer (MVFE), an immersive web-based platform enabling students, researchers, and citizen scientists to conduct quantitative ecological investigations within 360° spherical environments captured at field stations worldwide. The system integrates existing archives of seasonal panoramic video from The Virtual Field network with on-demand 3D Gaussian splat generation via Apple’s SHARP model, creating “measurement terrariums” that transform passive viewing into active spatial analysis.
The platform is built on a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) with vanilla JavaScript for frontend interactions and Python for computational backends. Users navigate a global constellation of field stations, immerse themselves in seasonal habitat documentation, deploy virtual instruments to extract quantitative measurements, and compare findings across ecosystems and seasons. The system supports screen-based interaction with future WebXR extension planned.
**Key Design Principle:** Pattern recognition remains with the human observer. The system provides measurement capability and contextual data; meaning emerges from the investigator’s interpretive framework shaped by experience.
@techreport{cnl2026cnltn,
author = {},
title = {CNL-TN-2026-009: Macroscope Virtual Field Explorer},
institution = {Canemah Nature Laboratory},
year = {2026},
number = {CNL-TN-2026-009},
month = {january},
url = {https://canemah.org/archive/document.php?id=CNL-TN-2026-009},
abstract = {This document specifies the Macroscope Virtual Field Explorer (MVFE), an immersive web-based platform enabling students, researchers, and citizen scientists to conduct quantitative ecological investigations within 360° spherical environments captured at field stations worldwide. The system integrates existing archives of seasonal panoramic video from The Virtual Field network with on-demand 3D Gaussian splat generation via Apple’s SHARP model, creating “measurement terrariums” that transform passive viewing into active spatial analysis.
The platform is built on a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) with vanilla JavaScript for frontend interactions and Python for computational backends. Users navigate a global constellation of field stations, immerse themselves in seasonal habitat documentation, deploy virtual instruments to extract quantitative measurements, and compare findings across ecosystems and seasons. The system supports screen-based interaction with future WebXR extension planned.
**Key Design Principle:** Pattern recognition remains with the human observer. The system provides measurement capability and contextual data; meaning emerges from the investigator’s interpretive framework shaped by experience.}
}