Revised Project Plan - Homework for Feb 10

**The proposed project clearly identifies deliverable additions to our VR Software Wiki** - 5 - 

Will have contributions for Dataset Documentation, Software Comparisons, VR Implementation Guides, Project Journal & Code and Evaluation

**Involves passthrough or "augmented" in VR** - 3 - Main project will be done through VR for complete immersion. AR can/will be used in the beginning to show red regions or to dive into a specific part of the rainforest (will have it originally in passthrough so you can see it on table).

**The proposed project involves large scientific data visualization along the lines of the "Scientific Data" wiki page and identifies the specific data type and software that it will use** - 5 - Using large-scale geospatial time-series environmental data. Global Forest Watch API and NASA MODIS satellite imagery. Software: Unity/Unreal Engine with Cesium for Unity or native GIS plugins. Visualization technique: 3D terrain rendering with temporal animation showing forest loss patterns over 24 years.

**The proposed project has a realistic schedule with explicit and measurable milestones at least each week and mostly every class** - 5 - Seven explicit milestones across 5 weeks aligned with required dates. Each milestone has concrete, measurable deliverables.

**The proposed project explicitly evaluates VR software, preferably in comparison to related software** - 5 - Includes comparative evaluation of Unity vs. Unreal Engine for environmental VR visualization. Will compare geospatial plugins and will evaluate VR effectiveness vs. traditional 2D maps through in-class activity with structured student feedback.

**The proposed project includes an in-class activity, which can be formative (early in project) or evaluative (later in project)** - 5 - VR Data Exploration Challenge (Week 3, 2/26): Students in small groups (3-4) explore Amazon VR environment for 15 minutes to identify deforestation hotspots, correlations with infrastructure, and temporal patterns, then spend 10 minutes discussing findings and rating VR effectiveness compared to traditional 2D visualization methods. Activity serves both formative (tests usability) and evaluative (assesses learning outcomes) purposes.

**The proposed project has resources available with sufficient documentation** - 5 - Extensive documentation available: Global Forest Watch has comprehensive API documentation and tutorials; NASA MODIS provides detailed data documentation and Python/R libraries; Unity and Unreal Engine have massive documentation ecosystems; geospatial plugins (Cesium for Unity) have detailed docs and sample projects

Google earth web

In the headset video recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ap1bx1uR1DbtgpAzzwkAvxhaYYW-xF4b/view?usp=sharing

First 3 photos (VR) headset, next 3 photos (Google Earth Web)

Course Learning goals

before after
----  ----
2 | 4 | Goal 1:  Articulate AR/VR visualization software tool goals, requirements, and capabilities;
3 | 5 | Goal 2: Construct meaningful evaluation strategies for software libraries, frameworks, and applications; strategies include surveys, interviews, comparative use, case studies, and web research;
3 | 5 | Goal 3: Execute tool evaluation strategies;
1 | 4 | Goal 4: Build visualization software packages;
3 | 5 | Goal 5: Comparatively analyze software tools based on evaluation;
1 | 4 | Goal 6: Be familiar with a number of AR/VR software tools and hardware;
3 | 4 | Goal 7: Think critically about software;
3 | 4 | Goal 8: Communicate ideas more clearly;
2 | 4 | Goal 9: Synthesize complex technical information into clear written documentation to contribute to collaborative knowledge resources;

PROPOSALS

Project 1 Proposal <ADD LINK>

Presentation for Project 1 Proposal <ADD LINK>

End Presentation for Project 1 <ADD LINK>

Project 2 Proposal <ADD LINK>

Presentation for Project 2 Proposal <ADD LINK>

Poster <ADD LINK>

In-class Activity <ADD LINK>

Public Demo <ADD LINK>

ALL OTHER WIKI CONTRIBUTIONS

10 Minute Changes

1. Give "common error solutions" for quick reference for Unity debugging issues in the most common troubleshooting parts. 

2. Fill in Meshlab and Netfabb VR Modeling Software Pages with same complexity as the rest of the software.

3. Updated StarChart page with new pricing details

1 Hour Changes

1. Create more detailed WebXR Development Guide and use instead of the WebVR main page as WebVR was deprecated

2. For headset testing data, create more section ratings instead of overall rating as different headsets have different qualities useful for different types of users

3. Have a plugin/extension recommendations section for Unity and Blender

10 Hour Changes

1. Complete the VR in medicine and engineering sections by reading all the articles and websites, then creating the webpage in a similar format to the others

2. Add a quick prerequisite tag to every page that has a prerequisite knowledge, could be useful if they aren't by section toggles but still need knowledge from other sections.

3. Create a Collaborative VR Workplace Deep Dive joint section. Currently only has list of many collaboration platform, but a large overview/ detailed page highlighting the differences and which one to use clearly can be useful. 

CONTRIBUTION 1 [Updated inaccurate Starchart pricing details] https://www.vrwiki.cs.brown.edu/what-is-vr/what-is-vr-for/vr-in-education/example-vrar-educational-software/star-chart

CONTRIBUTION 2 [short description] <ADD LINK>

.....

CONTRIBUTION N [short description] <ADD LINK>

HOURS journal

1/26/26

• Went through the website and all the different sections - 1 Hour

• Read all and introduced myself to the VR in different fields pages - 1 Hour

• Went through Unity3d tutorials - 2 Hours

1/27/26 - 2 Hours

• Did Course Learning Goals

• Read through different Student Projects (Visualizing Mars Data in OpenSpace, Water Availability Visualizations with AR Water Simulations, Underwater 3D Cave Exploration Project)

1/28/26 - 4 Hours

• Read through different visualization software ranging from useful to interesting 

• Created 5 different potential project ideas ranging from my interests

• Set Up Meta Quest

2/1/26 - 3 Hours

• Added/Improved Project Ideas as well as searched up and learned more about software that would be useful to my potential projects and how they can be used in my VR/AR projects and link with things like Unity or ParaView. 

Project Idea 1: Amazon Deforestation Time-Series in VR

Three things I will do:

1. Download and process satellite imagery from Global Forest Watch API, which has data from 2000-2024 for a specific region

2. Convert this data to 3D terrain using ParaView, and look at other software that would elevate my project

3. Build VR time-travel interface in Unity, where users would be able to scrub through years and watch deforestation happen in real-time, with tree density decreasing. 

Class Activity

The Class Activity that we can do for this project is to explore the same Amazon regions in VR across different decades (2000,2010,2020 to 2024) to then estimate forest loss percentage. I can create surveys that look at their estimates compared to actual data, as well as after looking at 2D satellite images. This can show me which visualization method is more accurate and also more impactful. 

Potential Deliverables

1. How to Import Global Forest Watch Data into Unity VR (in unity tutorials)

2. After Project: VR vs 2D satellite imagery for environmental data comprehension and analysis (in applications of VR for environmental sciences)

3. Software Evaluation of Global Forest Watch, Nasa Earthdata and Google Earth Data for environmental data in VR purposes for future projects (in visualization software for environmental sciences)

## Project Idea 2: VR Neural Network Brain Activity Explorer

#### Three things I will do:

1. Download and process fMRI data from places (OpenNeuro?), and convert these to 3D volumetric data in ParaView

2. Build VR brain navigation systems in Unity with teleportation like SpaceXR, other interactive and visual features

3. Create comparison study between 3D brain exploration and 2D slice viewers

#### Class Activity

- Students will explore fMRI data from working memory task in VR and identify the different brain regions that activate during the different phases, and explain what they learned. We will do the same thing for people who sees this in 2D and then compare accuracy between the two

#### Potential Deliverables

1. From OpenNeuro fMRI Data to Unity VR Visualization (in Unity tutorials)

2. VR For Neuroscience education

3. Comparing different pipelines to process NIFTI (neuro data) pipelines, such as ParaView, 3D Slicer and custom Python code 

## Project Idea 3: Microscopic CPU Architecture Explorer

#### Three things I will do:

1. Process microscopic images of CPU dies into 3D models and scale them to real-world size diagrams

2. Build AR application where we can shrink ourselves to view CPU components, overlay transitor architecture, cache hierarchy and other things that go on, perhaps using Quest 3 passthrough. 

3. Could also detect real CPUs to take advantage of AR.

#### Class Activity

Students will be able to use AR to explore a CPU die at multiple scales (millimeter → micrometer → nanometer), identifying cache levels, ALU, registers by touch/selection. I will then compare this understanding vs the group studying traditional Von Neumann architecture diagrams, and see who is more knowledgeable of the processes that happened.

#### Potential Deliverables

1. Tutorial in creating multi-scale experiences in Unity

2. Electron microscope image processing tools comparison

3. AR For Computer Architecture Education (applications of VR)=

2/1/26 - 4 Hours

• Finished ShapesXR and DinoVR

• Experimented with other headset features in these applications

2/4/26

## **Project Title:** "Amazon Deforestation Time-Travel VR Experience"

Fly through the Amazon rainforest and scrub through 25 years of satellite data (2000-2024) to watch deforestation happen in real-time. Compare VR temporal exploration vs traditional 2D satellite image slideshows for understanding deforestation scale and impact.

**Milestones**

1. 2/10: Data Acquisition & Processing

- Download satellite imagery from Global Forest Watch or other software

- Process different years of data (3-5 years)

- Convert to format compatible with Unity, test out the software more

- Deliver screenshots or folders showing data

2. 2/12: Basic Unity Terrain Setup

- Learn lots of details from Unity to create project with VR template

- Import terrain and render it

- Have the most basic VR navigation ready and try to have the Quest and it link

3. 2/19: Implement more basic features

- Multiple terrains all loaded

- Slider or UI to switch between years

- Video demo/ show class how the slider works

4. 2/24: Polish more visual representations

- Improved visuals for trees

- Lighting

- Learn how to measure statistics for loss

- Learn how to implement sound effects

5. 2/26: Comparison 

- Figure out how to best measure comparison with statistics

- Learn how to have data collection, whether it be with a survey design or other methods

- Learn how to have comparable 2D visualization

6. 3/03: Debugging

- Do most of the debugging or weird quirks fixed out from my programs

- Have the data collection setup ready

- See if the demo will work on multiple setups, and have all the instructions set up

7. 3/05: More class activities

- Class Activities, where I A/B test the 2d and the 3d visualization datas

- Have pre and post-tests on deforestation to see what they learned from the different visualization methods

- Learn from the findings and show statistics

- Analyze data and create deliverables

**Main Software to look at**

1. Global Forest Watch Tutorial

2. QGIS

3. Unity VR

4. C# or similar language

**Looked at**: More students projects

- i.e. Sofia VN project proposal (thinking about also the brain project still, between these 2 mostly)

- Looked at more Unity stuff, as well as basic search on different environmental science pages as well as neuroscience apis

02/08 -2 hours

• Created Powerpoint Presentation

• Experimented/thought of ways to use AR in my project as well so that it made sense

02/09 - 2 hours

• Made, set up Unity account on computer

• Read through more articles on VR for environmental science both in wiki and through generative models

• Using Global Forest Watch, trying to collect data -> Finding where/ what to analyze first!

02/12 - 5 Hours

• Downloaded Data (encountered many bugs for GFW)

• Created python script to clean and make it Unity-able

• Learned more about DinoV3 and if it can be used for this project