Rapid deployment of VRML worlds for military planning purposes

摘要

Broad dissemination of planning information presents problems to military planners due to the complexity of the information to be displayed and the unknown performance capabilities of computing platforms. The ubiquitous Internet provides a solution for information delivery. In addition, the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) supports the representation of information both in traditional and novel ways. Military planning information often describes places in the world where a military operation is underway or a base is planned. Such information includes of GIS information, and the location and placement of various structures. In this paper, we present an overview of the architecture and the process for creating these virtual worlds. In particular, we will discuss methods for creating and integrating terrain data, imagery, and other features into a virtual world. From an interactive perspective, the worlds feature a number of tools that aid in navigation and exploring the world, such as menus, and animated fly-throughs. In addition, we will discuss some of the tools that have been integrated into the various worlds to enhance their utility. Through an example, we show how the visualizations can be used for various planning applications through the control of feature visibility.