Biscayne National Park Boosts Virtual Learning and Operations with Reliable Connectivity
Overview
Biscayne National Park’s use of the Plum Case well beyond its original purpose is a lesson in flexibility and adaptability. When COVID-19 forced the park to shift to a virtual education program, the National Park Service purchased Plum Cases to support distance learning—then quickly discovered they were useful across a much wider range of operations.
About
Biscayne National Park, in southern Florida, is a popular destination for visitors drawn to the unique ecosystems within its boundaries. The National Park Service (NPS) manages and protects the park, overseeing its resources, facilities, and visitor services to ensure they’re preserved for future generations.
Challenge
At the onset of the pandemic, the NPS set out to expand its virtual park education program. Virtual classroom visits had been part of the program for years, but they had always relied on a tethered ethernet connection—and even that was a struggle. Located 8 miles off the mainland, the island lacks the internet speeds to reliably stream video, even over a wired connection. To share the full breadth of the park’s vegetation, wildlife, and history, the NPS needed a portable, high-speed, low-latency solution.
Solution
The search began for a portable, high-speed, low-latency connection to stream audio and video. After testing several options, the NPS found the Plum Case. They also spoke with another park site already using a Plum Case for wildland firefighting and search and rescue—which sounded like a strong match for their own connectivity needs. The NPS procured a pair of Plum Paks for the 2022 school year and deployed one for the first time by connecting to an elementary school in Kansas. Students streamed footage of mangrove forests and creatures swimming offshore, and the technology worked flawlessly.
Outcome
The benefits reached well past distance learning. On-site, the park used the Plum Cases to let campers register once they’d arrived—critical after the park moved to web-based registration, since the island has little to no cellular coverage. Just as important was the impact on morale. The park leans heavily on volunteers, and the Plum Cases gave both paid staff and volunteers the connectivity to check email, send texts, and stream video during downtime—even the Super Bowl. For a team working in such a remote location, staying connected to friends and family was a real morale boost. What began as a distance-learning purchase became a flexible tool that helped the park adapt to new challenges and keep serving visitors and volunteers.