Disaster Response Trainer
Client: Methodist University's South-Eastern Center for Environmental Excellence
Application: Training first responders in managing a tanker-truck chemical spill, and inspecting a workplace for safety hazards.
Equipment Used: WorldViz Vizard 3D software toolkit, WorldViz PPT X8 optical inertial hybrid wide-area tracking system, NVIS nVisor SX head-mounted display, WorldViz Ambisonic Auralizer 27 speaker 3D sound system.
Overview
Methodist University commissioned WorldViz to construct a turnkey solution for their new Environmental Simulation Center, as part of the university's Occupational Environmental Management Program. The center trains participants in environment and industrial disaster prevention and management. Using simulations, participants are given the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in immersive virtual training environments. University students, local catastrophe response teams, industry employees, and Fort Bragg Army personnel will use the center.
Vision
After consulting with WorldViz, the director of the Occupational Environmental Management Program, Carla Raineri, asked WorldViz to propose a Virtual Reality (VR) solution for exercising her student's skills in on-the-job settings. Through in-person discussions, Raineri and a team of WorldViz VR experts completed a Statement of Work outlining the Center's requirements.
WorldViz and Raineri agreed that immersion is a key quality to ensure the transfer of skills from training scenarios to real-life situations. In addition, Raineri wanted after-action reviews to be an integral part of the VR scenario training, so recording/playback and user database modules were included in the software design.
WorldViz proposed a solution where training participants will literally walk through and interact with the virtual world wearing a head mounted display (HMD). The 3D environment will be visually rich and contain technically accurate models of hazardous materials and equipment.
Hardware Integration
Integration of an optical-inertial head tracking system, an nVisor SX head-mounted display, and a 27 speaker 3D sound system was completed using the built-in hardware interfacing features of the WorldViz VR Software Toolkit Vizard. The WorldViz PPT X8 wide-area optical-inertial tracking system was used to provide head-tracking throughout the large room used in the center.
Leveraging WorldViz's experience in the VR industry, the Center deployed robust VR hardware that was within its budget requirements. WorldViz technicians installed the hardware at the multi-room facility and ran training sessions for the Center's staff. After the installation, on-site WorldViz experts supported demonstrations, as well as question and answer sessions for visiting United States congress members and the press.
Software Development
WorldViz created two 3D training applications using the VR Software Toolkit Vizard: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Trainer, and the Chemical Spill Scenario. Both applications allow participants to explore the virtual world by simply walking in the tracked space. The simulations challenged the participants to exercise their situational awareness and employ their classroom experience in a dynamic environment.
The OSHA inspection application requires students to search rooms of an industrial facility for safety violations, such as low overhead pipes, blocked water showers, and tripping hazards.
The Chemical Spill Scenario presents participants with a leaking tanker truck in a rural setting. The participant's task as first responders is to identify the type of leaking chemical, determine the urgency of the situation, and direct cleanup crews when they arrive.
After-action reviews are facilitated by playing back recorded sessions on a wide field-of-view theater composed of three 65-inch plasma screens. In addition, the participant's trial parameters and qualitative scores are recorded in a database for reference and analysis.
User Trials
After successful completion of the installation, nearly 200 people, including senior management from Methodist University, as well as Congressman Bob Etheridge, toured the facility and participated in a number of virtual reality technology demonstrations.
The director of the Occupational Environmental Management Program, Carla Raineri, explained to the visitors that "before this technology, it was hard to train for a chlorine spill... By teaching how to manage disaster scenarios we develop better management strategies, which results in more saved lives."
Congressman Etheridge, who helped with funding for the center, praised the efforts of the university as well as Raineri, and said that the facility is only one of two in the entire country that trains professionals with meeting federal environmental standards. He also stated that, "preventing occupational and environmental disasters is a national concern... We must continue to grow our capability to prepare for these events."
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