Handbook of Research on Implementing Digital Reality and Interactive Technologies to Achieve Society 5.0

Research on digital reality has been extensive in recent years, covering a wide range of topics and leading to new ways to approach and deal with complex situations. Within the Society 5.0 paradigm, people and machines establish a positive relationship to find solutions for social aspects and problems. This perspective establishes a strong interconnection between physical and virtual space, making the user an active player for better life and society. In these terms, digital systems and virtual and augmented reality technologies enable multi-dimensional scenarios and additional levels of interdisciplinary collaboration to create a highly inclusive communication network and social framework. The Handbook of Research on Implementing Digital Reality and Interactive Technologies to Achieve Society 5.0 provides an overview of methods, processes, and tools adopted to achieve super-smart society needs by exploiting digital reality and interactive technologies. It includes case studies that illustrate applications that place people’s quality of life at the center of the digitalization process, accessing and managing different information and data domains. Covering topics such as cultural heritage, interactive learning, and virtual participation, this major reference work is a comprehensive resource for business executives and managers, IT managers, government officials, community leaders, arts and performance organizers, healthcare administrators and professionals, faculty and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, students of higher education, researchers, and academicians

Integration of natural elements into the traditional house (of Khorezm region, Uzbekistan) for the climate improvement

This article is dedicated to the analysis and recommendations for the solution of a number of landscape problems related to architecture in the Khiva city. In particular, the advice is given on the use of methods such as "Chor-minor", "Chor-bag", which had existed in the Middle Ages

The experience of the Second Level Master to be qualified as InfraBIManager

In order to “survive” you must reinvent yourself. Even if you are a professional whose career is successful or a university which offers second level masters for professionals to give them the chance to keep up to date. For this reason, the construction industry and the education sector have a duty to be fully aligned with the objectives of bridging the gap of knowledge. Indeed, thursday, January 24th started the first edition of the InfraBIM Manager Second Level Master of the Politecnico di Torino. The 25 participants were mainly professionals who decided to invest in themselves to play a leading role in the new digital challenges of the AEC sector, showing great interests towards BIM-related topics. For this reason, the paper aims at understanding possible ways of engaging experienced people in new working methodologies, convincing them that something new it is less scary if faced by developing new skills and opening their mind towards new opportunities. They could attend the lessons in person, by videoconference or remotely in on-demand mode; that is fundamental! How can you ask people to be updated by using only old communication strategies? The structure of the Master was thought in order to push students beyond their limits of knowledge, so it was divided into 3 main phases: 350 hours of lectures given by professors from Politecnico di Torino or from other universities and professionals already working with InfraBIM methodology, telling students their own experience and advices; 375 hours of internship either in their company or somewhere else; 250 hours of project work during which they had to put into practice what they had learnt from lectures and exercises on a case study, defining specific objectives. Another reason that inspired the starting of such kind of Master was the chance to present methodology and BIM-related tools in an unbiased way, by presenting several software platforms, trying to define pros and cons, benefits and weaknesses of all products. The aim was to pass the message that no matter the tools used, some procedures and processes can work properly because of the premises and concepts behind. The structure of exercises and project teamwork aimed at encouraging collaboration among students; the experience showed that younger professionals better knew how to handle with BIM platforms and tools, but professionals had the necessary expertise deriving from years of work experience. Furthermore, the importance of openBIM was highlighted by presenting previous experiences of projects developed in such environment. To summarize, the aim was to make students understand the methodology, the processes and the objectives, not merely how to use specific software. Furthermore, by talking about processes, the focus was on the concept of interoperability, in order to communicate that once the methods are clear, software are just tools that enable to achieve the previously defined objectives. Finally, BIM-oriented learning courses presenting cutting edge topics even in second level masters are getting more desirable day by day, because of the market requests and to bridge the gap among universities and the work environment

Handbook of Research on Implementing Digital Reality and Interactive Technologies to Achieve Society 5.0

Research on digital reality has been extensive in recent years, covering a wide range of topics and leading to new ways to approach and deal with complex situations. Within the Society 5.0 paradigm, people and machines establish a positive relationship to find solutions for social aspects and problems. This perspective establishes a strong interconnection between physical and virtual space, making the user an active player for better life and society. In these terms, digital systems and virtual and augmented reality technologies enable multi-dimensional scenarios and additional levels of interdisciplinary collaboration to create a highly inclusive communication network and social framework. The Handbook of Research on Implementing Digital Reality and Interactive Technologies to Achieve Society 5.0 provides an overview of methods, processes, and tools adopted to achieve super-smart society needs by exploiting digital reality and interactive technologies. It includes case studies that illustrate applications that place people’s quality of life at the center of the digitalization process, accessing and managing different information and data domains. Covering topics such as cultural heritage, interactive learning, and virtual participation, this major reference work is a comprehensive resource for business executives and managers, IT managers, government officials, community leaders, arts and performance organizers, healthcare administrators and professionals, faculty and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, students of higher education, researchers, and academicians

A Methodology to Virtualize Technical Engineering Laboratories: MastrLAB-VR

Due to the importance given today to innovation, the education sector is evolving thanks digital technologies. Virtual Reality (VR) can be a potential teaching tool offering many advantages in the field of training and education, as it allows to acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills using an immersive experience in less time than the traditional educational process. These assumptions allow to lay the foundations for a new educational environment, involving and stimulating for students. Starting from the objective of strengthening the innovative teaching offer and the learning processes, the case study of the research concerns the digitalization of MastrLAB, High Quality Laboratory (HQL) belonging to the Department of Structural, Building and Geotechnical Engineering (DISEG) of the Polytechnic of Turin, a center specialized in experimental mechanical tests on traditional and innovative building materials and on the structures made with them. The MastrLAB-VR has been developed, a revolutionary innovative training tool designed with the aim of educating the class in total safety on the techniques of use of machinery, thus reducing the dangers arising from the performance of potentially dangerous activities. The virtual laboratory, dedicated to the students of the Building and Civil Engineering Courses of the Polytechnic of Turin, has been projected to simulate in an absolutely realistic way the experimental approach to the structural tests foreseen in their courses of study: from the tensile tests to the relaxation tests, from the steel qualification tests to the resilience tests on elements at environmental conditions or at characterizing temperatures. The research work proposes a methodology for the virtualization of technical laboratories through the application of Building Information Modelling (BIM), starting from the creation of a digital model. The process includes the creation of an independent application, which with Oculus Rift technology will allow the user to explore the environment and interact with objects through the use of joypads. The application has been tested in prototype way on volunteers, obtaining results related to the acquisition of the educational notions exposed in the experience through a virtual quiz with multiple answers, achieving an overall evaluation report. The results have shown that MastrLAB-VR is suitable for both beginners and experts and will be adopted experimentally for other laboratories of the University departments

HBIM and Virtual Tools: A New Chance to Preserve Architectural Heritage

Nowadays, architectural heritage is increasingly exposed to dangers due to natural disasters or human invasive actions. However, management and conservation represent crucial phases within the life cycle of historical buildings. Unfortunately, the complexity of conservation practices and the lack of knowledge of historic buildings are the cause of an inefficient recovering process in case of emergencies. To overcome this problem, this research aims to ensure the preservation of relevant information through the use of building information modeling (BIM) methodology. By developing historic building information models (HBIMs), it is possible to enhance the architectural heritage. This represents an opportunity to incorporate digital media into the global heritage conservation field. To achieve this goal, a historical castle was selected as a case study; this unique piece of architecture is located in the Piedmont Region, close to city of Turin (Italy). The results show a direct relation between a historical digital model, finalized to the management of architectural and system components, and visualization tools. To conclude, the adoption of this strategy is an effective way to preserve and consult information using advanced visualization techniques based on augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR)

Pavement Information Modelling (PIM): Best Practice to Build a Digital Repository for Roads Asset Management

The application of BIM methods and tools plays a key role in transportation infrastructure asset management. Road pavements represent one of the main components of the asset, which greatly influences safety and quality of service for users. The work presented herein exploited the potentialities of BIM processes and methods for management of road pavement structures. The specific goal was to define best practice for development of a methodological framework for Pavement Information Modelling (PIM). The starting point of the process was the identification of the specific BIM use, as intended by Kreider and Messner [1]. In this case, the BIM use identified concerned the 3rd (3D), 4th (4D), and 5th (5D) dimensions of BIM. The adopted approach had the aim to define the steps to build PIM based on geometrical and structural parameters to be used as a database for different kinds of maintenance strategies. Within this context, the main objectives of the study can be summarized as follows:(1)Define the steps to develop a PIM including all the relevant information to be stored for management purposes, from data collection to data restitution,(2)Define a best practice for the integration among BIM tools and road pavement management methods in order to obtain a digital repository for predictive maintenance strategies,(3)Define a planning and cost database for the different technologies and materials involved in the different maintenance strategies.From a practical point of view, the methodological framework was divided into three main categories (Figure 1) dealing with data: (i) data collection and input definition, which includes the analysis of available data and the BIM tools to be used to develop specific workflows; (ii) data processing, by dividing the workflows and related tasks in sub-sections for the fulfilment of the previously enounced objectives; (iii) data output, by defining the final result of each workflow.QC 20230706</p

Comprehensive Analysis of the Use of Web-GIS for Natural Hazard Management: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aims to synthesise Web-GIS evidence for managing natural hazards to share state-of-the-art practices and policies. A comprehensive search in SCOPUS, among other databases, identified 1775 articles published between 2014 and 2023. Following a selection process based on the PRISMA model, 65 articles met the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed a growing trend over the past decade, with most research concentrated in the last three years. Eight crucial subtopics within the Web-GIS domain have emerged: Integrated Spatial Analysis and Modelling, Technologies and Infrastructure, Visualisation and User Interface Design, Decision Support Systems, Real-time Monitoring and Early Warning, Disaster Recovery and Resilience, Citizen and Social Media Integration, and Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration. A substantial contribution of the literature has been identified in Decision Support Systems and Integrated Spatial Analysis, reflecting their vital role in strategising and predicting hazard impacts. Furthermore, a geographical distribution analysis revealed significant Web-GIS applications in countries like Italy and China, alongside a deficit in low- and middle-income countries. It also highlights potential gaps in hazard studies, including the need to prioritise heatwave management in the face of climate change. This research calls for policymakers and practitioners to leverage evidence-informed decision making and foster community collaboration for enhanced natural disaster resilience

Structural calculations by horizontal and vertical interoperability for the redevelopment of existing buildings

By considering the importance of Italy which is cradle of civilization and has a rich architectural and cultural heritage, unfortunately, current attention of community is not paid as much as should be; at the same time the Italian real estate challenges contemporary designers in the field of heritage buildings care more than in the new constructions. Moreover, increasing awareness of problems related to seismic safety is also an important issue, especially as a result of dramatic seismic events of recent years. The aim of this research is the integration of Structural analysis into Building Information Modeling (BIM) quickly using a methodology by which get data flows and information exchanges, with no data losses, between architectural software (as Revit Architecture and Archicad) and structural analysis software (as Axis VM) both static and seismic calculation. For the process of exchanging data from Revit to other software was considered as an “intelligent interoperability” with good results passing through Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) format, analyzing problems and possible solutions by using Solibri Model Checker. In this way, investigation of the possibilities of maintenance and structural stability analysis, in support to the comprehension of the behavior of elements within the whole building organism will be easier in achieving the connection between BIM and structural analysis for existing/historical buildings. The paper also elaborates risks and barriers to BIM implementation and future trends

Virtual Reality for training the public towards unexpected emergency situations

Nowadays, unexpected situations in public spaces are quite frequent; for this reason, there is the need to provide valid decision-making tools to support people’s behavior in emergency situations. The aim of these support tools is to provide a “training” for the public on how to behave when something unexpected happens, in order to make them aware of how to manage and control their own emotions. Thanks to the introduction of new technologies, trainings are also feasible in Virtual Reality (VR), exploiting the chance to create virtual environments and situations that reflect real ones and test different scenarios on a sample of people in order to verify and validate training procedures. Virtual simulations in this context are paramount, because they offer the possibility to analyse reactions and behaviors in a safe, “not real”, so without health concern, environment. Three scenarios (fire, heart attack of a person in the environment and terrorist attack) have been reproduced in VR, analyzing how to define the context for emergency situations. Users approaching the training only know they are going to face a situation without having details on what is happening; this is fundamental to test the training efficiency on people’s reaction