- February 9, 2022 - Biodôme : Experience
Written on April 28, 2021
Planning a visit to the Biodôme with your school-age children? As a couple? By yourself? Try the free “Espace pour la vie” mobile application, available in the App Store and Google Play by searching for “Espace pour la vie” or “Biodôme.”
It was designed to accompany you on your visit. Geolocation was integrated so that you can find your bearings. For those who only want to learn the name of an animal, we’ve created an animal search tool and identification cards. Do your kids have questions? Consult our interpretation cards!
A word of advice: download the application before your visit in order to familiarize yourself with its use and see what interests you most, because once you’re at the Biodôme, you’ll be too eager to set off on the adventure. Don’t feel like using your phone? Borrow an iPod free of charge at the Friends of the Biodôme counter.
To explore before the visit
360° photos, as if you were there
On the map of each ecosystem, click on the teardrop with an “I” inside it to see a 360° photo of the ecosystem in a natural environment, as though you were there. Under that photo, you’ll also find information on the ecosystem.
Information cards on the species
On the map, the teardrops represent the different areas where you can observe the animals and plants. When you click on these teardrops, a new button indicates the number of species it’s possible to observe in that place. A click, and the names along with photos of the species present appear. A number of cards offer additional content such as weight, feeding habits and amusing anecdotes.
At the Biodôme
Geolocation
When you enter an ecosystem, click on the map. Take the time to see where you are. When you move around, a circle on the map moves with you. That way you always know where you’re located. Make sure to activate the Bluetooth function on your device!
Quizzes that promote observation
Remember the teardrop-shaped markers? You’ll find information there on the different areas, but also quizzes and observation games. For example, in front of the beaver pond: What materials are used for making the dam? It’s a fun way of inviting the young and the not-so-young to take the time to observe.
What’s the name of that animal?
You saw a dark grey bird a little bigger than a blackbird in the maple forest and you’d like to identify it? The pictogram with the footprint and the magnifying glass take you to the search tool. Choose keywords or a group of animals. When next you select the ecosystem, simple questions will allow you to find the species you’re looking for. Is it a duck? Of course not. All that’s left is to pick the right photo: a catbird.
Augmented reality
A beluga or a wolf at the Biodôme ‒ is that possible? Yes, thanks to augmented reality. Look for the black cubes on uprights along the ecosystems pathways and the cube pictogram on the mobile application map. When you click on the cube, you can scan the one in the ecosystem. Move your device gently from left to right and a large predator will appear. Take a picture with the kids and bring home a souvenir.
Back at home
The mobile application is a highly useful tool for remembering the species observed during the visit or for identifying the species you photographed. Take advantage of it to read further.
You’ll have guessed by now that I strongly recommend the mobile application as a companion during your visit, a tool that the education team is especially proud of. The mobile app consists of more than 400 photos, quizzes, videos, and hundreds of info cards about the species. There’s something for every taste!
I invite you to try it out on your next visit.
Download the app
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