Virtual world experiences will blur real and synthetic spaces and objects, enhancing and enriching in new and unpredictable ways the daily lives of citizens while they are socialising, working, learning, making transactions, playing and engaging in creative activities. As described in the Communication COM (2023) 442 “An EU initiative on virtual worlds,” a vibrant and healthy ecosystem of innovative European stakeholders will build upon the convergence of advanced technologies (e.g., AI, 5G/6G, IoT, etc) to deliver persistent, 3D, real-time, immersive environments.

In order for European virtual world ecosystems to grow and thrive, there must be integration with existing technologies and systems, preservation of rights and respect of existing norms and laws. Technology providers will need to agree on protocols, interfaces or policies where data (including metadata) will be protected, and under user control. Interoperability standards will also permit data interchanges between virtual worlds without loss or compromise. To reach these objectives, a study of the current state of the art across virtual world standards will be conducted. 

The ViWISSO Project prepared a complete and exhaustive assessment of standardization activities in diverse virtual world technologies. The final ViWISSO Standards Landscape Report is published by ETSI ARF as an ecosystem tool and benefit.  In addition to the report and to support further exploration of information about the standards studied, there is also compressed file containing 11 folders. The folders contain spreadsheets and tools to explore patterns.

Based on gaps between the current activities and future requirements, the project team also proposed to the European Commission many actions and recommendations designed to accelerate development and adoption of standards for virtual worlds. The recommendations report is confidential.