scholarly journals Think Spatially With Game Engine

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Carbonell-Carrera ◽  
Peri Gunalp ◽  
Jose Luis Saorin ◽  
Stephany Hess-Medler
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Spatial Orientation ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Graphical Representation ◽  
Spatial Thinking ◽  
First Person ◽  
Game Engine ◽  
Ability Test ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Orientation Test

Spatial thinking and spatial orientation skills are involved in tasks related to the recognition of landforms, mapping, spatial interpretation, and landscape analysis, and can be developed with specific training. Game engines can facilitate the creation of 3D virtual landforms and provide powerful rendering engines for the graphical representation of landscapes from a first-person perspective. In the present research, 27 engineering students participated in a workshop in a first-person virtual environment using landforms created with a game engine. The Spatial Thinking Ability Test and the Perspective Taking-Spatial Orientation Test measured improvement in spatial thinking and spatial orientation as a result of this workshop. The gain in spatial thinking (8.31%) is within the range observed in previous research in the field of geography using a web-based GIS strategy (7.31%–10.00%). The gain in Spatial Orientation skill (15.76%) is comparable with previous research using both first-person strategies based in urban virtual environments (14.23%), and Spatial Data Infrastructures (gains between 21.17% and 21.34%). Participants with better self-reported sense of direction had better performance on the spatial orientation test.

scholarly journals Spatial Orientation Skill for Landscape Architecture Education and Professional Practice

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Carlos Carbonell-Carrera ◽  
Jose Luis Saorin ◽  
Stephany Hess-Medler
Keyword(s):  
Professional Practice ◽  
Spatial Orientation ◽  
Landscape Architecture ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Architecture Education ◽  
Person Perspective

Professional landscape architecture organizations have requested training from educational institutions based on new skills and methodologies in the curriculum development of students. Landscape architects need to visualize and evaluate the spatial relationships between the different components of the landscape using two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) maps and geospatial information, for which spatial orientation skills are necessary. The data from six workshops conducted throughout the 2010–2020 period, in which 560 second-year engineering students participated using different strategies and technical tools for spatial orientation skills’ development, were collected in a unique study. Factors such as the technology used, the gaming environment, the type of task, the 2D/3D environment, and the virtual environment were considered. The Perspective-Taking Spatial Orientation Test was the measurement tool used. The results show that mapping tasks are more efficient than route-based tasks. Strategies using 2D and a 2D/3D combination are more effective than those with only 3D. First-person perspective gaming environments are also a valid alternative. The technologies applied in this study are easy to use and free, and a measurement tool is provided. This facilitates an interdisciplinary approach between landscape architecture education and professional practice since these workshops could also be easily carried out by professional bodies for landscape planning and management.

Unity game engine as a method of presentation of data collected from UAV

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Janos ◽  
Justyna Ruchała ◽  
Edyta Puniach ◽  
Paweł Ćwiąkała
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Game Engine ◽  
Person Perspective

<p>Representatives of the scientific community collect and store huge amounts of spatial data resulting from years of their studies. However, there is a common problem of visualization methods of data which would be interesting to understand for a recipient from outside of the area as well as according to the current trends. In the modern day, many spheres of our life have been moved to the virtual reality and that is why representatives of areas such as industry, science, culture and art need to deal with the representation of the real world in a 3D reality.</p><p> </p><p>This work is concerned with the current issue of visualization of spatial data collected by surveyors as well as representatives of many other areas. The proposed method of presentation of collected research data is not only low-cost at preparation but is also distinguished by its simplicity of implementation. Its functionality will be presented by using an example of the Agora area located in the Archaeological Park of Kato Paphos in Cyprus. The mentioned area was created in order to protect and promote the archaeological sites as well as the artefacts from the former epoch which have been found in the area. Such historic places are very often not fully available to see by visitors and that is why the documentation and visualization of them in 3D reality might be incredibly helpful. This kind of activity not only contributes to the popularization of archaeological research but also meets the expectations of a modern recipient who uses virtual reality more and more often in order to learn about new places. It is worth mentioning that the presented visualization of measurement data is a versatile method that is intended to be used in many different scientific and research areas.</p><p> </p><p>From a technical point of view, the presented work guides a recipient through the complete process of development of an advanced animation in the environment used in the creation of 3D computer games – the game engine Unity. In the first part of the article the suitability of the data results obtained in digital photogrammetry as well as laser scanning was estimated for purposes of applying the presented method. The work also brings up the issues of limitation of free software and raises a question of methods allowing to meet the requirements with minimized loss of quality and accuracy of the data. The next step was to present the method of importing data (a mesh model and a high-resolution texture). Operating mechanism in Unity as well as a transfer of interactive visualization into the online browser Unity Connect were discussed in the further part of the article. It is worth mentioning that thanks to the FPP (First Person Perspective) technique the developed visualization allows a user to be transferred right into the centre of the archaeological sites where the admission for the third party is usually significantly restricted.</p>

scholarly journals Differentiating Real-World Autobiographical Experiences without Recourse to Behaviour

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 521
Author(s):  
Jonathan Erez ◽  
Marie-Eve Gagnon ◽  
Adrian M. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Extrastriate Cortex ◽  
First Person ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
True Nature ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Machine Learning Model ◽  
First Person Perspective

Investigating human consciousness based on brain activity alone is a key challenge in cognitive neuroscience. One of its central facets, the ability to form autobiographical memories, has been investigated through several fMRI studies that have revealed a pattern of activity across a network of frontal, parietal, and medial temporal lobe regions when participants view personal photographs, as opposed to when they view photographs from someone else’s life. Here, our goal was to attempt to decode when participants were re-experiencing an entire event, captured on video from a first-person perspective, relative to a very similar event experienced by someone else. Participants were asked to sit passively in a wheelchair while a researcher pushed them around a local mall. A small wearable camera was mounted on each participant, in order to capture autobiographical videos of the visit from a first-person perspective. One week later, participants were scanned while they passively viewed different categories of videos; some were autobiographical, while others were not. A machine-learning model was able to successfully classify the video categories above chance, both within and across participants, suggesting that there is a shared mechanism differentiating autobiographical experiences from non-autobiographical ones. Moreover, the classifier brain maps revealed that the fronto-parietal network, mid-temporal regions and extrastriate cortex were critical for differentiating between autobiographical and non-autobiographical memories. We argue that this novel paradigm captures the true nature of autobiographical memories, and is well suited to patients (e.g., with brain injuries) who may be unable to respond reliably to traditional experimental stimuli.

scholarly journals An immersive first-person navigation task for abstract knowledge acquisition

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doerte Kuhrt ◽  
Natalie R. St. John ◽  
Jacob L. S. Bellmund ◽  
Raphael Kaplan ◽  
Christian F. Doeller
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Navigation ◽  
First Person ◽  
Abstract Space ◽  
Motion Platform ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Abstract Knowledge ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Spatial Domains ◽  
First Person Perspective

AbstractAdvances in virtual reality (VR) technology have greatly benefited spatial navigation research. By presenting space in a controlled manner, changing aspects of the environment one at a time or manipulating the gain from different sensory inputs, the mechanisms underlying spatial behaviour can be investigated. In parallel, a growing body of evidence suggests that the processes involved in spatial navigation extend to non-spatial domains. Here, we leverage VR technology advances to test whether participants can navigate abstract knowledge. We designed a two-dimensional quantity space—presented using a head-mounted display—to test if participants can navigate abstract knowledge using a first-person perspective navigation paradigm. To investigate the effect of physical movement, we divided participants into two groups: one walking and rotating on a motion platform, the other group using a gamepad to move through the abstract space. We found that both groups learned to navigate using a first-person perspective and formed accurate representations of the abstract space. Interestingly, navigation in the quantity space resembled behavioural patterns observed in navigation studies using environments with natural visuospatial cues. Notably, both groups demonstrated similar patterns of learning. Taken together, these results imply that both self-movement and remote exploration can be used to learn the relational mapping between abstract stimuli.

scholarly journals Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Beings

Philosophies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
S. J. Blodgett-Ford
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Voting Rights ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Person ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
First Person Perspective ◽  
To Come ◽  
Additional Option

The phenomenon and ethics of “voting” will be explored in the context of human enhancements. “Voting” will be examined for enhanced humans with moderate and extreme enhancements. Existing patterns of discrimination in voting around the globe could continue substantially “as is” for those with moderate enhancements. For extreme enhancements, voting rights could be challenged if the very humanity of the enhanced was in doubt. Humans who were not enhanced could also be disenfranchised if certain enhancements become prevalent. Voting will be examined using a theory of engagement articulated by Professor Sophie Loidolt that emphasizes the importance of legitimization and justification by “facing the appeal of the other” to determine what is “right” from a phenomenological first-person perspective. Seeking inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948, voting rights and responsibilities will be re-framed from a foundational working hypothesis that all enhanced and non-enhanced humans should have a right to vote directly. Representative voting will be considered as an admittedly imperfect alternative or additional option. The framework in which voting occurs, as well as the processes, temporal cadence, and role of voting, requires the participation from as diverse a group of humans as possible. Voting rights delivered by fiat to enhanced or non-enhanced humans who were excluded from participation in the design and ratification of the governance structure is not legitimate. Applying and extending Loidolt’s framework, we must recognize the urgency that demands the impossible, with openness to that universality in progress (or universality to come) that keeps being constituted from the outside.

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