Virtual Reality for Mission Planning

New technologies and security policy developments bring a paradigm shift for the Austrian armed forces. The use of information and communication measures entails both challenges and opportunities: for combat, security and rescue maneuvers.

Bild einer Frau, die sich im Virtual Reality Raum bewegt.

A user moves in the VR room. On the screens, the scene that the user sees can be followed in two real-time perspectives.

Bild von zwei Computerbildschirmen auf die VR Aktionen übertragen werden.

The user's actions can be followed in real-time from different perspectives on the screens. Using different tools, it is possible to mark routes or display field of view calculations.

Bild einer Simulation eines Trainingsbereiches aus der Vogelperspektive

Miniature view of the training area (bird's eye view).

Bild einer Simulation eines urbanen Gebiets bei guten Sichteverhältnissen

First-person view of an urban scene without fog and good visibility.

Bild einer Simulation eines urbanen Gebietes mit schlechten Sichtverhältnissen

First-person view of an urban scene with strong fog and poor visibility.

Bild einer Simulation eines Menüs verschiedener taktischer Zeichen für die Einsatz- und Rettungsplanung

A set of tactical signs to annotate for planning (e.g. mission or rescue planning).

Bild einer Visualisierung von Sichtweiten von bestimmten Punkten

It is difficult to retrieve certain information from an ordinary 2D map. For security manoeuvres, for example, it is important to know how to best evacuate people from a building that is under fire - or what lines of sight and firing lines there are. The red area visualizes the visibility from a certain point in the scene.

VRVis developed a Virtual Reality application for the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV) and the Institut für Militärisches Geowesen (Institute for Military Geology) covering geographical information requirements as well as mission-oriented applications. From satellite images, urban scenes are reconstructed in 3D, so that users can move freely within them: to train their local knowledge, to plan operations, to carry out maneuvers or to plan rescue operations. All this is absolutely realistic, but completely safe, via remote application. The application of VRVis combines several technologies: Virtual Reality, photogrammetry (3D reconstruction from aerial photographs) and virtual geodesy.

The application allows moving through different reconstructed application areas. The scene is reconstructed from satellite images, photos, or other high-resolution images. In two possible views (First-Person and Birds-Eye) the user can move through the virtual space. The terrain can easily be assessed from a bird's eye view. The user teleports into the scene in order to deal more precisely with terrain key points. On a scale of 1:1, the user can walk through the landscape as if he or she were actually on-site and can thus easily get acquainted with the conditions. For example, it is possible to look around the corner of buildings, from the roof of a house to the street, but real distances can also be better estimated. This is not only a tool for pure exploration, but it is also especially a tool for resource planning. The user can measure, mark, annotate and perform precise visibility calculations for shooting fields. The simulation of environmental conditions such as fog, sun position etc. is also included.

This VR application is an important application for modern armed forces as it offers several advantages:

Complex geographical contents can be conveyed which cannot be conveyed on two-dimensional maps
Future areas of operation can be explored
Local knowledge can be trained
All actions during the simulation are documented for command development

This VR application was presented by the Federal Armed Forces at the information and performance show on the occasion of the Austrian National Holiday (Nationalfeiertag). The Cyberforces presented this project to visitors on the 25th and 26th of October at "Am Hof" in Vienna to give an insight into the latest developments in security, 3D and VR geography.

Further information

In order to preserve the architectural heritage, we use methods of photogrammetry, thermography, photometry as well as laser scans to carry out inventories, recognition and documentation of changes in protected buildings.