Abstract:

In military operations, there is growing interest in using extended reality (XR) technology to visualize and interact with virtual mission areas for planning and rehearsals. One key advantage of XR technology is its ability to visualize 3D virtual mission areas with perspective views and depth perception, allowing users to explore terrain models more naturally. A pilot user study has been carried out to compare the use of immersive XR technology for two types of terrain analysis tasks. The focus was to observe how XR supported features such as motion parallax and depth cues impact task performance measures such as speed, accuracy, confidence and perceived workload. Additionally, we interviewed participants with prior military training regarding the applicability of the immersive terrain exploration tool. Our findings indicated that the XR tool engages participants with higher immersion and sense of presence in the terrain, combined with the user interface features, supported a quicker and more accurate as well as confident responses in the terrain tasks related to assessing elevation and line of sight. The interviews resulted in insights regarding XR tooling features that would better support terrain analysis tasks involved in land-based operations, such as incorporating a compass within the immersive environment, visualizing line-of-sight data, delineate terrain and surface types (i.e. rocks, swamps, forests), and displaying scale. These findings suggest that integrating XR technology into military education and training programs can significantly enhance terrain analysis proficiency by providing immersive, intuitive environments that improve spatial understanding, task accuracy, and user confidence. The heightened sense of presence and interactivity allows trainees to engage more deeply with virtual mission areas, potentially accelerating learning and retention. Furthermore, the participant insights point to valuable design considerations that can make XR tools more effective for instructional use in preparing personnel for complex land-based operations.

Keywords: AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY (AR/VR);IMMERSIVE;SIMULATIONS;TERRAIN;VISUALIZATION

Tom Hueting

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Utility of 3D eXtended Reality for Terrain Understanding