Virtual World Technology is transforming many domains and disciplines with its enabling technology and is ready to mature into the Virtual World Ecosystem Framework. A perfect Virtual World Ecosystem is one where users can all routinely and naturally accomplish individual and group missions and tasks collaboratively and efficiently at higher levels of performance with superior results. As it develops further, and the full ecosystem emerges, an open and accessible architecture approach will allow users and third parties to add customized content, behaviors, and technologies to create new applications and create a virtuous cycle of value directly benefiting all users of the system. Such an environment will support the complexities of the real world with adequate yet accurate representations of the real world; to include physical world models, as well as the human social, cultural, and behavioral models needed. The environment should be designed from the beginning to allow evolution to support future/emerging mission needs and technology developments.

In 2010, the authors were directed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to study the current state of virtual world practice within the DOD, and to design an architectural framework that meets all of the goals below. Our intent with this paper is to present those results and the design to the I/ITSEC community, as well as the larger DOD community, in 2011.