QuickAware: A Virtual reality tool for Quick Clay Landslide Hazard Awareness

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, the area of application of Virtual Reality (VR) has grown tremendously from the entertainment industry to the military, to mental health, to hazard identification training, and to our daily lives. VR has been widely employed in hazard identification and prevention, safety training, evacuation, search and rescue, and damage identification of hazards. This paper investigates the application of VR for raising awareness about quick clay landslide hazard. Quick clay landslides are geological hazards that are often triggered suddenly, are difficult to forecast, and often result in disastrous consequences. Currently, hazard and risk maps are used to communicate quick clay landslide risk to the public. However, these maps are mostly expert specific, and they may not appear convenient to communicate natural hazards such as quick clay landslides to the public. VR technology can be used to further enhance the communication of landslide risk to the public by developing simulations that can raise awareness about, among others, landslide initiation signs, preventive measures, safety training, and actions that can increase safety of individuals in a hazard event. To narrow this communication gap, we developed a tool, QuickAware, that can help in improving awareness of quick clay risk using a VR application. The development process of the tool started with a co design approach where stakeholder experts were brought to collaborate in setting up VR scenarios and defining the VR environment contents. The contents were then conceptualized and translated into VR experience. The usability of the VR application was examined by conducting a survey with 16 participants. The results of the survey indicated that the tool has a promising value in improving awareness creation for quick clay landslide hazard.