Introduction to Virtual Reality in Geospatial Education
Faculty and students at two Penn State campuses, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton, are working together on a project to develop virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications to be used in geospatial education. The project, which received over $10,000 in funding from the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), goals to assist surveying educators understand immersive technologies and the way they could be used to support instruction.
The Project’s Objective
The project, called the Education and Capacity Building Initiative, is led by Dimitrios Bolkas, associate professor of surveying engineering at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. The team includes Jeffrey Chiampi, associate teaching professor of computer science at Penn State Hazleton, and two undergraduate students, Jason Herrera and Kyle Jones, from Penn State Hazleton. The goal of the project is to develop VR and AR applications that could be used to teach professionals within the surveying field and to open up latest pathways for education.
The Development Process
The project began in the summertime of 2024 with a survey of educators, professionals, and organization leaders within the surveying field to find out their familiarity and experience with VR and AR. Based on the responses, the team decided to develop an immersive experience in mapping with the power to visualise objects and three-dimensional models. Penn State Wilkes-Barre used among the funding to buy six headsets to enable the VR/AR experience.
Student Involvement
Herrera and Jones, each second-year computer science majors, are contributing to the coding and development of the project. They bring their skills and experience in computer science to the project, and in return, they’re gaining precious experience in problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. "This type of opportunity has allowed me to learn and refine skills required for my major, like problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills," said Herrera. "These skills will help me advance in my goals to grow to be a successful software developer in the longer term."
Benefits for Students
Students at each Penn State Hazleton and Penn State Wilkes-Barre, in addition to other Penn State campuses, have the chance to work with faculty members on research and present their findings at campus research fairs and off-campus conferences of their fields. This experience is invaluable for college kids, because it gives them hands-on experience of their field and prepares them for his or her future careers. "I had not worked with VR or AR before, so the whole lot was latest territory in that regard," said Jones. "I actually have, nonetheless, worked on large-scale projects before, but this was definitely the biggest project up to now."
Project Progress and Future Plans
The first phase of the project, developing VR applications, has been accomplished, and AR application development is in process. The VR and AR experiences might be tested in surveying and geospatial courses at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the course of the fall semester. When complete, the researchers will offer learning materials on the immersive technologies to surveying educators to be used of their courses and work.
Conclusion
The project goals to broaden the education of the geospatial community and share knowledge with them. By developing VR and AR applications, the team hopes to teach students using emerging technologies and contribute to the surveying field. As Bolkas said, "The goal of this project was to broaden the education of the geospatial community and share this information with them. We strive to teach our students using emerging technologies and appreciate this chance to contribute to the surveying field."
