It’s exciting to be living through the early stages of the development of realistic, interactive virtual worlds and their intersections with real life (what some people call the “meat space”). At this point in time, anything is possible, anyone can participate, and any group or technology can become the dominant force in our virtual future. Things are moving very fast now — too fast for anyone to keep up with everything that is happening and the ideas that are springing up like mushrooms after a rain. That is especially difficult for corporations, governments and other large organizations to deal with, so here is a list of some practical applications that these groups can set their focus on. I’ve distilled it from a number of leading sources that have weight and credibility in the field.
Building Automation (sensors, security and other relevant data - temperature, humidity, setting of devices, errors that come from devices etc) A virtual agent would handle communication between devices, monitor status, and instruct each device about what to do. Each building or home could be thought of as a box defined by rules, and the avatars of different people with different interests or permissions, such as financial or technical, could access and obtain pertinent data from the virtual agent. The German company Wago is a leader in building automation.)
Energy Monitoring (collecting data on energy consumption and availability (e.g. electricity, gas, oil, water), as well as projected cost savings, tracking the interaction and integration of different systems, e.g., heating, cooling and fuel consumption, to reveal energy leaks. Energy monitoring can drastically reduce the carbon footprint of houses and large facilities. By tracking the interaction and integration of heating, cooling and fuel consumption systems, energy leaks not understood from a single data stream can be identified and resolved.)
Conditional Monitoring and Alert Management (monitoring the state of various systems and transactions that can result in a work order being issued. HVAC, lights, heating, refrigeration, access control, elevators, gates, switches, motion detectors and all kinds of sensors can report data to a central control that monitors and analyzes input and initiates specific visual displays. IBM recently announced a vNOC (virtual network operations center) it created for Implenia, a Swiss construction and facilities management firm.
Preventive maintenance (field level sensor readings, part numbers, staff scheduling, customer requirements can all be tracked and reported using a combination of real life data feeds that create instant visual effects.)
Distribution channel automation (this also applies to military convoy automation. From point of sale or point of manufacture through the shipping area and onto trucks, trains or planes, 3D images can be used to represent everything from packets of data flowing through a system network to the actual transport vehicles moving items from Point A to Point B in real time on a map. Delivery and condition data, together with recipient signatures, can make their way back to the point of origination instantly. Interruptions, delays or accidents will be obvious.)
Virtual commerce (connecting a 3D virtual store/inventory with a back-end Real Life system like SAP will open many new possibilities for people to participate actively in the act of shopping, designing their own products, arranging for the delivery of real goods, and even delivering virtual goods to a virtual world. Virtual shopping baskets can fill from a pre-developed shopping list, and advise the status on unavailable items. Scripted boards located strategically in the virtual floor can trigger totals of items in the basket or recommend additional items from a nearby display. An avatar shopper can drop his shopping cart on a cash register, and initiate a real world transaction that will result in payment procedures and delivery of the real world items to a street address. Customers can enter the virtual world and inhabit model homes where they can design their own rooms and furniture, that can then be converted to real world products delivered right to the customer. Scripted chat bots or avatars of real world sales staff can assist customers with purchasing decisions.)
Banking (simulate high-volume banking environments, link virtual ATMs to real-time authorization from a core banking system, provide virtual credit card accounts and transactions, provide loans in virtual or global currencies to qualified applicants–as avatars. Not as far-fetched as it sounds. See this article in Computer Weekly.)
Travel There are amazing 3D replicas of modern and historical locations in Second Life and Active Worlds, with even more to come from Google Earth. Imagine being able to take a 3D tour of a place before you visit, so you will know what to expect and the layouts of locations. Google is expected to launch a 3D avatar-based version of a world built upon its Street View and Google Maps technologies this summer, which will make it even more realistic to view sites before visiting in person. Imagine if avatars could click on a picture of a virtual location, or click on a real world picture of the same location and enter into a purchase transaction. Imagine going into a travel office or visiting their web site and being given a tour around several cities or cruise ships by a real life travel agent’s avatar. Hotels could offer looks at their rooms and facilities. Armchair travelers and the disabled who cannot travel might be willing to pay a subscription fee for the right to explore the world virtually.
Training/Education Emergency doctors in the field who need a consultation, or training in a surgical procedure. An effort is underway to create detailed 3D models of the entire human body, with several organs already available for study. There is a walk-in model of a human cell on Genome island in Second Life. Education is a hot topic in virtual worlds, because everyone can see how much vitality and energy results from creating experiential 3D learning environments. Many businesses are already exploring the educational and recruiting potential of virtual worlds.
Other possibilities that come to mind include:
Data representation and management reports
Employee background checks
Call center and Help Desk automation
Bio-hazard, weather, chemical and nuclear emergency preparedness simulations
War games and military strategy simulations
If you’d like to suggest others, or tell me about interesting architectures or practical 3D applications you have come across in your own travels, please drop me a note!
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on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 12:49 am,
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