The BridgEt project aimed to develop innovative and inclusive teaching methods to enhance skills in 3D geological mapping, with a focus on integrating onshore and offshore geospatial datasets. It addressed a key gap in coastal management by providing standardised workflows for 3D reconstructions of coastal and submarine environments, essential for understanding climate change, sea-level rise, and marine geohazards. A core objective was to reshape marine geoscience education through the use of Virtual Reality (VR), increasing spatial understanding and student engagement. The project provided hands-on training during three international summer schools. It also produced accessible online resources through its Project Results, including datasets shared via Zenodo with assigned DOIs and online resources (among which a "Guide for better land to sea mapping: an interactive journey" and a "virtual cruise"). BridgEt delivered also best practices for data workflows, evaluated teaching methods through surveys, refined VR approaches, and promoted interactive learning while raising awareness of the societal role in marine geosciences.
The BridgEt project was designed to address the growing need for highly skilled professionals in marine and coastal geosciences, with a focus on 3D visualisation, analysis, and communication of environmental data. While technologies such as SfM photogrammetry, UAVs, and VR have transformed digital mapping, best practices for integrating these tools into higher education were still lacking. BridgEt aimed to bridge this gap by developing innovative and inclusive teaching methodologies, enhancing students’ digital and transversal skills, and fostering co-creation between students and teachers. The project also responded to the need for greater diversity and inclusion in the marine geosciences labour market, where representation remains limited. Through three international summer schools and several immersive teaching resources, BridgEt promoted collaborative learning models based on real-world data and 3D reconstructions, ultimately contributing to the renewal of marine geoscience education in Europe.