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Virtual Reality Platforms and Hosting Options: Training for Radiological Sampling
Citation:
Birchfield, D., A. Lutes, D. Womack, T. Boe, L. Oudejans, AND S. Lee. Virtual Reality Platforms and Hosting Options: Training for Radiological Sampling. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-24/112, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to identify virtual reality (VR) training systems that already exist or could be modified for use in training for radiological sampling following a radiological or nuclear incident to support in the response and recovery. This literature review indicates that VR is having a significant and increasing impact on training programs across a range of sectors. We see a trend that training departments in medical, first responder, and high-risk industries are leading the adoption of VR technology. We also note that the VR training ecosystem is maturing with the emergence of numerous off-the-shelf VR training applications and some middleware VR content development platforms. Early research suggests that VR training can have a positive impact on outcomes vs. traditional lecture-based instruction, and VR experiences can likely transfer to real-world contexts. We have noted less activity in VR training for radiological and nuclear incident response and recommend potential further investigation of this application subdomain. It is likely that VR can also have a positive impact in these areas and benefit from lessons learned in related fields.
Description:
The ability to implement full-scale disaster response exercises with minimal resources and maximum control and realism is of great interest to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the emergency response community. Virtual Reality (VR) holds great promise for providing high-quality training experiences for high-risk situations in a manner that is effective, engaging, and relevant. The goal of this literature review is to provide insight into recent work in VR training for disaster response with a focus on radiological and nuclear incident response. This literature review is a product of a collaboration between the EPA’s Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER) and the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL).