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Keywords:

Virtual reality environments, validation, human performance.

ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the steps taken in one military research to validate real-world events when those events were recorded, replayed, and displayed in a DVRE (distributed virtual reality environment), and also describes attempts to calculate and display real-time performance measures at both low levels (concerning single-entity quantitative measures) and higher levels (concerning multi-entity qualitative measures). The paper begins with an introduction of the primary and secondary goals of the research program. It then proceeds with a section on the hardware, software, and networking characteristics of the particular virtual environment used throughout the research program. The next paper segment broadly describes the steps that were taken to validate real-world events in the virtual world. These steps are then covered in greater detail, with a perspective toward their impact on the goals of the research, and toward the problems and insights that were encountered. The major lessons that were learned in the process of completing each step are then discussed. Finally, some concluding remarks are made concerning the overall success and possible future directions of the research program.

Published in the Conference Proceedings, Simulation Interoperability Workshop, March, 1999, Orlando, FL.