Immersive Visualization of Complex Situations for Mission Rehearsal

As identified in the SBIR announcement, virtual environment technologyhas found widespread use in the military in applications related to the recreation of a photo realistic display. The SBIR announcement further recognizes that a significant need exists for aids in developing skills for managing complex situations which are best addressed at a more abstract level. The current proposal seeks to address this need by adapting human immersion concepts and virtual environment technology normally associated with real world display to the more subtle requirements of complex mission management rehearsal. By allowing a trainee to view, navigate, and interact with an abstract virtual world, more substantial information regarding the subject matter can be imparted. The proposed effort has 2 technical objectives. The first is the identification of requirements inherent in using commercial off the shelf (COTS) hardware and software that will allow for the development of a military and non-military immersed virtual environment mission rehearsal system. The second is the establishment of functional system specifications and recommendations for specific COTS hardware and software. Performance of the proposed program will serve as a necessary step toward the development of a protype mission rehearsal system. CASDE experience in the practical aspects fo military modeling, simulation, and virtual environments, supplemented by the extensive computer science expertise of Professor James Hahn of George Washington University, will ensure a thorough and successful completion of the proposed study. Completion of the proposed program will form the initial step in development of an immersed virtual reality based system for complex mission rehearsal. The primary military benefit of such a system is anticipated to be a revolutionary breakthrough in techniques for system management training. In particular, the application of immersed virtual reality to an abstract virtual environment is expected to significantly aid in imparting a higher level of conceptual understanding. Both warfighting and peace time benefits are to be expected.