The availability and quantity of remotely sensed and terrestrial geospatial data sets are on the rise.Historically,these data sets have been analyzed and quarried on 2D desktop computers;however,immersive technologies...The availability and quantity of remotely sensed and terrestrial geospatial data sets are on the rise.Historically,these data sets have been analyzed and quarried on 2D desktop computers;however,immersive technologies and specifically immersive virtual reality(iVR)allow for the integration,visualization,analysis,and exploration of these 3D geospatial data sets.iVR can deliver remote and large-scale geospatial data sets to the laboratory,providing embodied experiences of field sites across the earth and beyond.We describe a workflow for the ingestion of geospatial data sets and the development of an iVR workbench,and present the application of these for an experience of Iceland’s Thrihnukar volcano where we:(1)combined satellite imagery with terrain elevation data to create a basic reconstruction of the physical site;(2)used terrestrial LiDAR data to provide a geo-referenced point cloud model of the magmatic-volcanic system,as well as the LiDAR intensity values for the identification of rock types;and(3)used Structure-from-Motion(SfM)to construct a photorealistic point cloud of the inside volcano.The workbench provides tools for the direct manipulation of the georeferenced data sets,including scaling,rotation,and translation,and a suite of geometric measurement tools,including length,area,and volume.Future developments will be inspired by an ongoing user study that formally evaluates the workbench’s mature components in the context of fieldwork and analyses activities.展开更多
Background Over the last few years,the rapid advancement of technology has led to the development of many approaches to digitalization.In this respect,metaverse provides 3D persistent virtual environments that can be ...Background Over the last few years,the rapid advancement of technology has led to the development of many approaches to digitalization.In this respect,metaverse provides 3D persistent virtual environments that can be used to access digital content,meet virtually,and perform several professional and leisure tasks.Among the numerous technologies supporting the metaverse,immersive Virtual Reality(VR)plays a primary role and offers highly interactive social experiences.Despite growing interest in this area,there are no clear design guidelines for creating environments tailored to the metaverse.Methods This study seeks to advance research in this area by moving from state-of-the-art studies on the design of immersive virtual environments in the context of metaverse and proposing how to integrate cutting-edge technologies within this context.Specifically,the best practices were identified by i)analyzing literature studies focused on human behavior in immersive virtual environments,ii)extracting common features of existing social VR platforms,and iii)conducting interviews with experts in a specific application domain.Specifically,this study considered the creation of a new virtual environment for MetaLibrary,a VR-based social platform aimed at integrating public libraries into metaverse.Several implementation challenges and additional requirements have been identified for the development of virtual environments(VEs).These elements were considered in the selection of specific cutting-edge technologies and their integration into the development process.A user study was also conducted to investigate some design aspects(namely lighting conditions and richness of the scene layout)for which deriving clear indications from the above analysis was not possible because different alternative configurations could be chosen.Results The work reported in this paper seeks to bridge the gap between existing VR platforms and related literature in the field,on the one hand,and requirements regarding immersive virtual environments for the metaverse,on the other hand,by reporting a set of best practices which were used to build a social virtual environment that meets users'expectations and needs.Conclusions Results suggest that carefully designed virtual environments can positively affect user experience and interaction within metaverse.The insights gained from this study offer valuable cues for developing immersive virtual environments for the metaverse to deliver more effective and engaging experiences.展开更多
Technology has always been creating effective ways to support human decisions.Immersive virtual reality(IVR)has emerged to engage users in a simulated world,and this has gained the interest of a wide variety of users ...Technology has always been creating effective ways to support human decisions.Immersive virtual reality(IVR)has emerged to engage users in a simulated world,and this has gained the interest of a wide variety of users in the heritage industry.A historical case study built in the early 19th century is considered for an adaptive reuse exhibition.The palace is located in Cairo,Egypt,and named after Prince Omar Tosson.The current palace state incorporates a smashed top-lit zone,which is being studied and analyzed for daylighting adequacy.Three simulated distinct optimum skylight configurations are suggested for the redesign where the selection should not be based solely on simulation data,but should consider real-user preferences.Most daylight design criteria are previously based on simulation data that do not necessarily indicate the users'preferences.But utilizing user interactive tools such as IVR to test daylight redesign options,a whole new dimension is provided.In this study,the VR users’survey data is statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS),where results revealed that the assessment attributes succeeded in reflecting the users'preferences;which,motivated designers to consider potential users’daylight preferences in reused spaces.The paper highlights the most significant emotional attributes that provide cost-effective and reliable information concerned with the performance of daylight in IVR before design implementation.This study compares and analyzes the effect of three skylight designs(Cases A,B&C)on the users'perception before design implementation using(IVR)post-survey.Forty-eight participants have contributed to the study,providing their feedback on six attributes namely:Pleasant,Contrasting,Brightness,Uniform Distribution,Visual Comfort,and Satisfaction.Those attributes are evaluated for the three cases in space using five scale rating values to reveal that the"Pleasant"attribute is most reliable in the study to reflect the users'preferences for design Case B.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the National Science Foundation[grant numbers 1526520 to AK and 0711456 to PL].
文摘The availability and quantity of remotely sensed and terrestrial geospatial data sets are on the rise.Historically,these data sets have been analyzed and quarried on 2D desktop computers;however,immersive technologies and specifically immersive virtual reality(iVR)allow for the integration,visualization,analysis,and exploration of these 3D geospatial data sets.iVR can deliver remote and large-scale geospatial data sets to the laboratory,providing embodied experiences of field sites across the earth and beyond.We describe a workflow for the ingestion of geospatial data sets and the development of an iVR workbench,and present the application of these for an experience of Iceland’s Thrihnukar volcano where we:(1)combined satellite imagery with terrain elevation data to create a basic reconstruction of the physical site;(2)used terrestrial LiDAR data to provide a geo-referenced point cloud model of the magmatic-volcanic system,as well as the LiDAR intensity values for the identification of rock types;and(3)used Structure-from-Motion(SfM)to construct a photorealistic point cloud of the inside volcano.The workbench provides tools for the direct manipulation of the georeferenced data sets,including scaling,rotation,and translation,and a suite of geometric measurement tools,including length,area,and volume.Future developments will be inspired by an ongoing user study that formally evaluates the workbench’s mature components in the context of fieldwork and analyses activities.
基金Supported by Fondazione TIM in the context of the “Facciamola Facile” initiativeby Programma Operativo Nazionale (PON)“Ricerca e Innovazione” 2014-2020-DM 1062/2021 funds
文摘Background Over the last few years,the rapid advancement of technology has led to the development of many approaches to digitalization.In this respect,metaverse provides 3D persistent virtual environments that can be used to access digital content,meet virtually,and perform several professional and leisure tasks.Among the numerous technologies supporting the metaverse,immersive Virtual Reality(VR)plays a primary role and offers highly interactive social experiences.Despite growing interest in this area,there are no clear design guidelines for creating environments tailored to the metaverse.Methods This study seeks to advance research in this area by moving from state-of-the-art studies on the design of immersive virtual environments in the context of metaverse and proposing how to integrate cutting-edge technologies within this context.Specifically,the best practices were identified by i)analyzing literature studies focused on human behavior in immersive virtual environments,ii)extracting common features of existing social VR platforms,and iii)conducting interviews with experts in a specific application domain.Specifically,this study considered the creation of a new virtual environment for MetaLibrary,a VR-based social platform aimed at integrating public libraries into metaverse.Several implementation challenges and additional requirements have been identified for the development of virtual environments(VEs).These elements were considered in the selection of specific cutting-edge technologies and their integration into the development process.A user study was also conducted to investigate some design aspects(namely lighting conditions and richness of the scene layout)for which deriving clear indications from the above analysis was not possible because different alternative configurations could be chosen.Results The work reported in this paper seeks to bridge the gap between existing VR platforms and related literature in the field,on the one hand,and requirements regarding immersive virtual environments for the metaverse,on the other hand,by reporting a set of best practices which were used to build a social virtual environment that meets users'expectations and needs.Conclusions Results suggest that carefully designed virtual environments can positively affect user experience and interaction within metaverse.The insights gained from this study offer valuable cues for developing immersive virtual environments for the metaverse to deliver more effective and engaging experiences.
基金This research was financially supported by Egypt-UK Newton-Musharafa Fund:Institutional LinksSTDF(the Science&Technology Development Fund),Egypt,Grant No.26150.
文摘Technology has always been creating effective ways to support human decisions.Immersive virtual reality(IVR)has emerged to engage users in a simulated world,and this has gained the interest of a wide variety of users in the heritage industry.A historical case study built in the early 19th century is considered for an adaptive reuse exhibition.The palace is located in Cairo,Egypt,and named after Prince Omar Tosson.The current palace state incorporates a smashed top-lit zone,which is being studied and analyzed for daylighting adequacy.Three simulated distinct optimum skylight configurations are suggested for the redesign where the selection should not be based solely on simulation data,but should consider real-user preferences.Most daylight design criteria are previously based on simulation data that do not necessarily indicate the users'preferences.But utilizing user interactive tools such as IVR to test daylight redesign options,a whole new dimension is provided.In this study,the VR users’survey data is statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS),where results revealed that the assessment attributes succeeded in reflecting the users'preferences;which,motivated designers to consider potential users’daylight preferences in reused spaces.The paper highlights the most significant emotional attributes that provide cost-effective and reliable information concerned with the performance of daylight in IVR before design implementation.This study compares and analyzes the effect of three skylight designs(Cases A,B&C)on the users'perception before design implementation using(IVR)post-survey.Forty-eight participants have contributed to the study,providing their feedback on six attributes namely:Pleasant,Contrasting,Brightness,Uniform Distribution,Visual Comfort,and Satisfaction.Those attributes are evaluated for the three cases in space using five scale rating values to reveal that the"Pleasant"attribute is most reliable in the study to reflect the users'preferences for design Case B.
