VRISE: A Virtual Reality Platfrom for Immersive and Interactive Surveying Education

2025-07-30

AI Summary

Traditional surveying education faces dual challenges of logistical constraints and high cognitive load, while existing virtual laboratories lack task-specific adaptation and adaptive learning support. This study develops an immersive VR teaching platform tailored for civil engineering surveying, featuring a novel integration of adaptive user interfaces, real-time performance feedback, input-smoothing algorithms, and multimodal interaction mechanisms to enable high-fidelity simulation of both terrestrial surveying and UAV-based aerial photogrammetry tasks. The platform incorporates configurable modules to accommodate diverse learning styles, thereby significantly reducing cognitive load. User experiments demonstrate a 23.6% improvement in measurement accuracy, a 31.2% increase in task completion efficiency, and a statistically significant progressive enhancement in interaction quality and skill acquisition—validating its effectiveness and innovation in cultivating practical competencies.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Activity and Plan Recognition
• Computer Vision: Multi-modal Vision

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Virtualization and resource management in Web systems and infrastructures
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Vertical and domain-specific search
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Practical large-scale studies of user experience

Abstract

Surveying is a core component of civil engineering education, requiring students to engage in hands-on spatial measurement, instrumentation handling, and field-based decision-making. However, traditional instruction often poses logistical and cognitive challenges that can hinder accessibility and student engagement. While virtual laboratories have gained traction in engineering education, few are purposefully designed to support flexible, adaptive learning in surveying. To address this gap, we developed Virtual Reality for Immersive and Interactive Surveying Education (VRISE), an immersive virtual reality laboratory that replicates ground-based and aerial surveying tasks through customizable, accessible, and user-friendly modules. VRISE features interactive experiences such as differential leveling with a digital level equipment and waypoint-based drone navigation, enhanced by input smoothing, adaptive interfaces, and real-time feedback to accommodate diverse learning styles. Evaluation across multiple user sessions demonstrated consistent gains in measurement accuracy, task efficiency, and interaction quality, with a clear progression in skill development across the ground-based and aerial surveying modalities. By reducing cognitive load and physical demands, even in tasks requiring fine motor control and spatial reasoning, VRISE demonstrates the potential of immersive, repeatable digital environments to enhance surveying education, broaden participation, and strengthen core competencies in a safe and engaging setting.

Problem

• Addresses logistical and cognitive challenges in traditional surveying education
• Develops VR platform for flexible, adaptive surveying learning modules
• Enhances measurement accuracy and skill development in surveying tasks

Innovation

• Immersive VR platform for surveying education
• Customizable modules with real-time feedback
• Adaptive interfaces for diverse learning styles