3D modelling of the dolerite dyke network within the Siilinjärvi phosphate deposit

Non peer reviewe

Developing digital fieldwork technologies at the British Geological Survey

Geological Surveys are faced with budget constraints and calls for efficiency gains; the effective application of digital techniques is often seen as a route to meeting these demands while increasing the value of outcrop studies and reducing the inherent subsurface uncertainty. The British Geological Survey may be the oldest national Survey in the world (established in 1835); however, developing and implementing new, innovative and efficient technologies for fieldwork is a high priority. Efficient tools for capturing, integrating, manipulating and disseminating outcrop data and information are imperative to enable geoscientists to increase their understanding of geological processes and therefore to reduce subsurface uncertainty and risk. Systems for capturing structured digital field data and for visualizing and interacting with large datasets are increasingly being utilized by geoscientists in the UK and internationally. Augmented reality and unmanned aerial vehicles are amongst the developing technologies being explored for future operational implementation. This paper describes the digital field mapping (BGS·SIGMAmobile) and visualization (GeoVisionary) systems and refers to a case study outlining their contribution to reducing uncertainty and risk in hydrocarbon exploration

Alternative Archaeological Representations within Virtual Worlds

Traditional VR methods allow the user to tour and view the virtual world from different perspectives. Increasingly, more interactive and adaptive worlds are being generated, potentially allowing the user to interact with and affect objects in the virtual world. We describe and compare four models of operation that allow the publisher to generate views, with the client manipulating and affecting specific objects in the world. We demonstrate these approaches through a problem in archaeological visualization

The snowflake effect: the future of mashups and learning

Emerging technologies for learning report - Article exploring web mashups and their potential for educatio

Managing the mining cycle using GeoVisionary

Managing the mining cycle from exploration through to evaluation, planning, construction, operation and finally mine closure can involve many datasets in different formats. To be able to visualise all of these different datasets in one environment is important to locate mineral/ore deposits, moderate risks, increase mining efficiency, monitor the impact on the surrounding environment and communicate these factors to stakeholders. Typically, GIS – Geographical Information Systems have been used to manage the life cycle of a mine, however the three dimensional (3D) complexity is lost in these two dimensional (2D) systems. Virtalis alongside the British Geological Survey, have developed the GeoVisionary software which provides the means to aid the management of many aspects of the life cycle of a mine using a combination 2D, 3D and 4D data in the same virtual environment

Utilization of photogrammetry during establishment of virtual rock collection at Aalto University

In recent years, we can observe increasing popularity of the term industry 4.0 which is defined as a new level of organization and control over the entire value chain of the life cycle of products. Experts distinguished nine different technologies, which are essential for the development of industry 4.0. One of them is virtual reality, which is used during processes of data visualisation and digitization. These processes can also include geological collections. Due to limited access to different geological spots, the popularity of destructive techniques during rock testing and high complexity of the process of learning geosciences, geologists are looking for new methods of digitization of different samples of rocks and minerals. The aim of this master thesis was to create a virtual collection of selected rocks and minerals using photogrammetry and virtual reality (VR) technology and develop new tool and interactive learning platform for study mineralogy and petrography. To accomplish these aims and create 3D models of specimens, the author built professional photo studio and used photogrammetric techniques to digitize the samples. The main output of this research is a virtual 3D collection of rocks and minerals that consisting of 107 samples, and which is available via two different channels: Sketchfab portal online model repository and VR environment built in Unity game engine. The virtual collection will be utilised to teach students how to identify rocks and minerals at Aalto University

Augmenting the landscape scene: students as participatory evaluators of mobile geospatial technologies

This paper provides a two-phase study to compare alternative techniques for augmenting landscape scenes on geography fieldtrips. The techniques were: a pre-prepared acetate overlay; a custom-designed mobile field guide; locative media on a smartphone; virtual globe on a tablet PC; a head-mounted virtual reality display, and a geo-wand style mobile app. In one field exercise the first five techniques were compared through analysis of interviews and student video diaries, combined with direct observation. This identified a particular challenge of how to direct user attention correctly to relevant information in the field of view. To explore this issue in more detail, a second field exercise deployed ‘Zapp’, a bespoke geo-wand-style app capable of retrieving information about distant landscape features. This was evaluated using first-person video and spatial logging of in-field interactions. This paper reflects upon the relative merits of these approaches and highlights particular challenges of using technology to mimic a human field guide in pointing out specific aspects of the landscape scene. We also explore the role of students acting as design informants and research co-participants, which can be mutually beneficial in promoting a critical appreciation of the role of technology to support learning about the landscape

The Potential of Using Augmented Reality (AR) Technology as Learning Material in TVET

In the field of education today, people can choose from a variety of ways and methods to acquire specific information and skills; here are some good examples: classroom lectures with textbooks, computers, hand-held devices, and other electronics appliances such as tablets and smartphones. In a rapidly changing society, there are countless sources of knowledge and a great deal of available information; hence, adopting an appropriate method and applying relevant information at the right time and place are important in both schools and business settings. The augmented reality (AR) technology is one of the most advanced developments in the education sector tailored for 21st Century learning. With so much to offer, it is worthwhile to investigate the potential of integrating AR into the teaching-learning processes. This study focuses on exploring the possibility of merging TVET learning materials with the AR technology; the survey was carried out among the lecturers to gauge their knowledge and perception of AR as well as the relationship between the two elements. This quantitative study includes randomly selected samples of 230 lecturers from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). The respondents were given a questionnaire to answer. The SPSS version 22 software package was used to analyse the data collected. Overall, the mean score indicates that the lecturers' knowledge level for AR technology is high. The lecturers also have a positive perception of using AR as a tool to incorporate and present the learning materials. Finally, this study discovers that there is a positive relationship between the lecturers’ information about AR and their perception of using AR as a vehicle to deliver the learning materials. AR is expected to achieve widespread adoption in schools, universities and colleges,  TVET and other higher learning institutions. Therefore, this study may be useful to the developers and providers of augmented reality solutions, end users of these solutions, teachers and students, and the experimenting digital communities.&nbsp

Digitalisation for nuclear waste management: predisposal and disposal

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