3D SIMULATOR FOR TRAINING IN BASIC GEOLOGIC FIELD MAPPING METHODS

A virtual 3D simulator is developed for training basic field mapping skills. The objective of the simulator is to provide students and educators with access to traditional geologic field methods in a virtual world. The program is designed to (1) aid basic student instruction in mapping tools and techniques before real world field excursions and (2) provide an approach that accommodates students with physical disabilities, health issues, or other factors that would otherwise prevent participation in fieldwork.

The first-person simulation permits users to move through a 3D world wielding replicated field equipment, with the flexibility of choosing their own paths and making their own discoveries. To date, development of virtual field tools in the 3D simulator includes pocket transit, hammer, surveying equipment (alidade) and hand sample analysis tools. The application aims to instruct students in fundamental field tools and methods before they are confronted with the unpredictable, real-world environmental factors of weather, physical exhaustion, and potentially hazardous locations, all of which impact the efficacy of field instruction.

The program is developed with the Unity3D game engine, and utilizes the software’s built-in tools and assets for player physics, environmental conditions and user interface. An example is presented from the classic field mapping location, Sheep Mountain anticline in Big Horn County, Wyoming. Publically available LiDAR data and terrain imagery provide a landscape with a resolution that the user can feel immersed within the simulation. Gigapixel imagery is embedded at particular locations in the simulation by integration of web-linked “billboards” in the virtual world.