Co-presence, collaboration, and control in environmental studies: A Second Life-based approach

  • Authors:

  • Songpol Attasiriluk;Arturo Nakasone;Wisut Hantanong;Rui Prada;Pizzanu Kanongchaiyos;Helmut Prendinger

  • Affiliations:

  • National Institute of Informatics, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, 101-8430, Tokyo, Japan and Chulalongkorn University, Department of Computer Engineering, Bangkok, Thailand;National Institute of Informatics, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, 101-8430, Tokyo, Japan;National Institute of Informatics, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, 101-8430, Tokyo, Japan and Chulalongkorn University, Department of Computer Engineering, Bangkok, Thailand;IST-UTL, INESC-ID, Av. Prof. Cavaco Silva, Taguspark, 2744-016, Porto Salvo, Portugal;Chulalongkorn University, Department of Computer Engineering, Bangkok, Thailand;National Institute of Informatics, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, 101-8430, Tokyo, Japan

  • Venue:
  • Virtual Reality - Mediated Presence: Virtual Reality, Mixed Environments and Social Networks, Part 1.Guest Editors: Anna Spagnolli; Matthew Lombard; Luciano Gamberini
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

In this paper, we describe a framework for synchronous collaborative visualization and remote control in the agricultural domain. The framework builds on “Second Life” (SL), a popular networked online 3D virtual world, where users are represented as avatars (graphical self-representations). Co-presence in SL takes the form of instant (real-time) two-way interaction among two or more avatars. The aim of our work is to facilitate co-presence for sharing knowledge and exchanging wisdom about environmental practices. In order to establish a realistic simulated context for communication in SL, virtual counterparts of real devices are created in the virtual world. Specifically, we aim to represent field servers that sense and monitor fields such as rice paddies and vineyards. The Twin-World Mediator (TWM) is developed in order to replicate the behavior of real devices in virtual counterparts, and to facilitate seamless communication between real and virtual world. The TWM is an easy-to-use, extensible, and flexible communication framework. A small study demonstrated how the TWM can support collaboration and experience sharing in the agricultural domain.