Title
Using virtual environments to train firefighters
Abstract
Using virtual environments for training and mission rehearsal gives US Navy firefighters an edge in fighting real fires. A test run on the ex-USS Shadwell measured the improvement. The results suggest that virtual environments serve effectively for training and mission rehearsal for shipboard firefighting. VE training provides a flexible environment where a firefighter can not only learn an unfamiliar part of the ship, but also practice tactics and procedures for fighting a fire by interacting with simulated smoke and fire without risking lives or property. These tests proved a successful first step in developing a new training technology for shipboard firefighting based on immersive virtual environments. The tests also indicated potential areas for improvement, requiring additional research. User interaction techniques for manipulating objects in VEs need further study, along with usability studies to determine their effectiveness or utility. Other areas that could enhance VE training systems include more natural and intuitive I/O devices such as 3D sound, speech and natural language input, integrated multimedia and hypermedia instruction, and multi user interaction
Year
DOI
Venue
1997
10.1109/38.626965
Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE
Keywords
Field
DocType
computer aided instruction,computer based training,digital simulation,fires,military computing,naval engineering computing,training,virtual reality,US Navy firefighters,VE training,VE training systems,ex-USS Shadwell,flexible environment,immersive virtual environments,intuitive I/O devices,mission rehearsal,shipboard firefighting,simulated smoke,training,training technology,usability studies,user interaction techniques
Navy,Virtual reality,Hypermedia,Computer science,Usability,Human–computer interaction,Natural language,Immersion (virtual reality),Firefighting,Multimedia,Multi-user
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
17
6
0272-1716
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
20
2.65
8
Authors
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
David L. Tate1202.65
Linda Sibert26912.27
Tony King39720.75