Embedded Files
3D Augmented Reality &
Faculty and students in the Department of Geology & Environmental Geoscience utilize many exciting cutting-edge technologies in their coursework and research.
AROutcrop Mobile App for iOS
AROutcrop Mobile App for iOS
Most geologists have long recognized the educational value of immersive opportunities and hands-on experiences that teaching geology in the field and using natural rock samples in the classroom offer students. However, these instructional approaches also give rise to distinct logistical and pedagogical challenges. For example, in the field, students sometimes struggle to fully connect concepts, models, and interpretations from classroom lectures with seemingly amorphous masses of rock that they encounter. Or, in the classroom, students may only have limited time for analysis when passing individual hand specimens person-to-person, and may not have access to valuable or fragile samples outside of class hours.
To address these challenges, we created an app (AROutcrop) for iOS mobile devices that leverages state-of-the-art advancements in augmented reality (AR) technology to supplement or “augment” the user’s real-world environment in ways that can enhance geoscience learning and comprehension both in the field and in the classroom. AROutcrop accesses a customizable UTF-16 encoded text file stored in the iOS Files app to automatically recognize images (e.g., textbook figures, photos of rock outcrops, QR codes, etc.) to display corresponding AR geo-objects (e.g., 2-D geologic interpretations, 3-D rock models, 3-D virtual outcrops, etc.) in the real-time view within the device’s camera environment. Once these AR geo-objects have been placed (either on a planar surface or in mid-air), users can resize the geo-object, translate it along any axis, and/or rotate it 360° about any axis. Users can also open a window with data and/or textual information describing the geology of the displayed AR geo-object. Early results from our use of AROutcrop suggest that this novel approach has the potential not only to improve student learning and comprehension in the field and in the classroom, but also to help enhance students’ observational and critical-thinking skills.
Read also about the 2020 Android prototype:
AROutcrop Mobile App for Android
3D Geologic Models
3D Geologic Models
Virtual reality 3D models provide a means of interactively visualizing geological objects (see selected examples to the left)
GEOS 110: Earth & the Environment virtual mineral and rock labs.
Digital specimens created using 3D photogrammetry by Scott Wilkerson (mswilke). Click on the link to visit the interactive story map for each lab.
Minerals: https://arcg.is/0zTu1n
Igneous Rocks: https://arcg.is/0eejOj
Sedimentary Rocks: https://arcg.is/1f4zPq
Metamorphic Rocks: https://arcg.is/1jSn0y0
AR Sandbox
AR Sandbox
In order to help students visualize landforms shown on topographic maps, Dr. Scott Wilkerson (and his sons Zach and Ben) constructed an augmented reality sandbox based on an NSF-funded project led by Oliver Kreylos at UC Davis' W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES).
The augmented reality (AR) sandbox (see left) was built on a wooden cart that uses a Microsoft Xbox Kinect 3-D sensor/camera to measure the elevation of the sand surface at the millimeter scale. These elevation data are collected by a laptop computer, which then computes the topographic contours of the sand surface and subsequently sends a color-coded topographic map to a short-throw projector mounted above the sandbox. The projector overlays the color-coded elevation map and contours back onto the sand surface...in real time. That is, users shape the sand into landforms, and the colored topographic map automatically readjusts to reflect those changes in surface elevations. In addition, users can also simulate digital water by causing it to "rain" over the area and watch the water flow downhill into streams, ponds, and lakes.
"Everyone who sees this system is immediately drawn into it and begins to craft features in the sand," says Wilkerson. "The neat thing is how quickly users start to ask thoughtful questions and then implement experiments to test their ideas. I can see this being a game-changer in engaging students to better understand topographic maps and to relate the land surface to various hydrologic processes."
The department plans to use the AR sandbox in their introductory and advanced classes to help students better understand various geographic, geologic, and hydrologic concepts (e.g., interpreting contours and visualizing the landforms they represent; understanding runoff, watersheds, and drainage divides; investigating the impacts of dams and levees; etc.). In addition, Dr. Wilkerson plans on conducting outreach in the surrounding schools to use the system to help teach students about maps and landforms (e.g, the Juan de Fuca subduction zone-above, post-1980 Mt. St. Helens volcano-below).
Support for this project was provided by Faculty Development and the Department of Geosciences.
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