Utilizing Virtual Reality to Support the ASCE UESI Student Surveying Competition

Dimitrios Bolkas; Jeffrey Chiampi; Carol L. Morman

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Conference: ASEE-NE 2022
Location: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts
Publication Date: April 22, 2022
Start Date: April 22, 2022
End Date: April 23, 2022
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42216
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42216
Download Count: 256

Paper Authors

biography

Dimitrios Bolkas Pennsylvania State University, Wilkes-Barre Campus orcid.org/0000-0002-1269-8704

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Dimitrios Bolkas, Ph.D., is currently an Associate Professor of Surveying Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, Wilkes-Barre Campus. He has a diverse geodetic and geoscientific experience that includes terrestrial, mobile, and airborne laser scanning, digital elevation models, unmanned aerial systems, GNSS networks, geoid and gravity-field modeling. His main research interest is on building methods to increase, understand, and assess the quality/uncertainty in 3D geospatial datasets. His research develops new methods and techniques to enhance functionality of 3D geospatial data and models. In addition, recent research interests include utilizing 3D data for creating realistic environments in immersive virtual reality, as well as the application of virtual reality in engineering education.

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biography

Jeffrey Chiampi

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Mr. Chiampi is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University Wilkes-Barre campus. He holds master degrees in Business Administration and Software Engineering. He regularly teaches courses in computer science, game development, and information sciences and technology. Before coming to Penn State Mr. Chiampi worked in the information technology industry for over 10 years. His primary research interest is the application of Virtual Reality (VR) on engineering education. He recently received funding to create a VR lab to investigate the extent VR can be used to augment surveying education.

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Carol L. Morman PE, PS Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

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Dr. Morman is a Professor and Program Chair for the Land Surveying program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. She received her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northern Kentucky University, master of science in Civil Engineering from California State University, Fresno, and bachelor of science degrees in Civil Engineering and Land Surveying from Purdue University. In addition to teaching at Cincinnati State, Dr. Morman is owner and principle engineer and surveyor for CLM Surveying & Engineering.

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Abstract

Surveying engineering is a major with strong professional and historical ties to civil engineering. However, compared to civil engineering, surveying has a lower public profile, and many first-year engineering students are not aware of surveying as an option, what the major entails, and how surveying contributes to engineering projects. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) Surveying Competition organizes an annual surveying competition for Civil Engineering programs. The educational and professional goals include a recognition of the importance of basic surveying principles to all civil engineering projects. The competition is an innovative and interesting way to engage civil engineering students with surveying engineering and increase the awareness of surveying in civil engineering institutions. Due to the travel challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 UESI Surveying Competition was held virtually. The UESI Surveying and Geomatics Division in collaboration with University Name Hidden decided to utilize immersive and interactive virtual reality technology to simulate the field component in the student competition. Thanks to technological advancements of Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) in the past 10 years, immersive virtual reality technology has found widespread application in education. The SurReal (Surveying Reality) software that was used for the competition has a realistic virtual environment based on the University Name Hidden campus and a realistic differential leveling instrument. The software simulates all major components of the differential leveling process. This is the first national surveying competition with an integrated virtual reality component. This paper will discuss the virtual reality component, the approach followed to adapt the existing SurReal software from the Oculus Rift to the Oculus Quest 2 platform, the challenges in providing the necessary hardware to the participating universities from different parts of the US, and the feedback received by the students participating in the competition.  

Citation
Format

Bolkas, D., & Chiampi, J., & Morman, C. L. (2022, April), Utilizing Virtual Reality to Support the ASCE UESI Student Surveying Competition Paper presented at ASEE-NE 2022, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts. 10.18260/1-2--42216

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Surveying engineering is a major with strong professional and historical ties to civil engineering. However, compared to civil engineering, surveying has a lower public profile, and many first-year engineering students are not aware of surveying as an option, what the major entails, and how surveying contributes to engineering projects. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) Surveying Competition organizes an annual surveying competition for Civil Engineering programs. The educational and professional goals include a recognition of the importance of basic surveying principles to all civil engineering projects. The competition is an innovative and interesting way to engage civil engineering students with surveying engineering and increase the awareness of surveying in civil engineering institutions. Due to the travel challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 UESI Surveying Competition was held virtually. The UESI Surveying and Geomatics Division in collaboration with University Name Hidden decided to utilize immersive and interactive virtual reality technology to simulate the field component in the student competition. Thanks to technological advancements of Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) in the past 10 years, immersive virtual reality technology has found widespread application in education. The SurReal (Surveying Reality) software that was used for the competition has a realistic virtual environment based on the University Name Hidden campus and a realistic differential leveling instrument. The software simulates all major components of the differential leveling process. This is the first national surveying competition with an integrated virtual reality component. This paper will discuss the virtual reality component, the approach followed to adapt the existing SurReal software from the Oculus Rift to the Oculus Quest 2 platform, the challenges in providing the necessary hardware to the participating universities from different parts of the US, and the feedback received by the students participating in the competition.  

AU  - Dimitrios Bolkas
AU  - Jeffrey Chiampi
AU  - Carol L. Morman PE, PS
CY  - Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts
DA  - 2022/04/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Utilizing Virtual Reality to Support the ASCE UESI Student Surveying Competition 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/42216
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--42216
ER  -