Virtual Reality Simulation for Emergency Management teams – A Literature Review

Abstract

The objective of this review was to provide a summary of virtual reality (VR) simulation for emergency management (EM) teams and suggest future research agenda items. A systematic literature review was conducted using three databases: PsycINFO, Compendex (Engineering Village), and Web of Science. A total of five articles met inclusion criteria and thus were reviewed here. Our review identified four common aspects of VR-based EM team simulation: coordination, communication, decision-making, and situation awareness. Future research is recommended to investigate other aspects of team cognition and collective characteristics as to how these are related to team performance. The level of fidelity of the VR simulation was identified as an important factor to consider when designing VR simulations for different populations with varying experience level. The adoption of more immersive VR systems would be beneficial to improving ecological validity. Moreover, a deep analysis of fidelity and simulation effectiveness is recommended.