Intro to Virtual Worlds

On-Demand Webinar

NOTE: Large files will take more time to download

• Webinar Recording: Intro to Virtual Worlds (WMV, 72.24 MB, 1 hour)
• Presentation Slides: Intro to Virtual Worlds (PDF, 1.86 MB, 13 pages)
• Transcript: Intro to Virtual Worlds (PDF, 38.95 KB, 13 pages)

Description

Virtual Worlds are genres of online communities that take the form of a computer-based simulated environment where you can interact with others using and creating content. It may be hard to understand how virtual worlds can be effective in government, but agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have used virtual worlds as a way to collaborate, visualize data, educate, and create content.

Join Eric Hackathorn of NOAA and his avatar (a virtual representation of himself) for an overview of how NOAA is using virtual worlds to engage citizens. Visitors to NOAA’s virtual islands can soar through a hurricane, rise gently through the atmosphere atop a weather balloon, interact with a 3-D weather map of the U.S., or search for a hidden underwater cave on a side trip from a NOAA submersible. NOAA’s Earth System Research Lab developed the site for users to have experiences they may not have in the physical world and learn about the cutting-edge science from NOAA. Eric will also focus on a number of active government virtual world projects, including vGov, the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds, and SciLands.

What You'll Learn

• What a virtual world is and what it looks like
• Advantages and risks government agencies face when using virtual worlds
• What resources you need to maintain your agency’s presence in a virtual world

Who Should Attend

This course is for government web managers, IT specialists, senior managers, and other government staff involved with citizen engagement initiatives and agency website operations at any level.

About the Presenter

Eric Hackathorn is a program manager and 3D Web Designer for NOAA. His recent work has focused on designing a public 3-D space to highlight the research NOAA performs. In addition, Eric is CEO of Maya Realities, a 3-D virtual worlds analytics firm.