Government virtual worlds workshop to be held in March

Press release: Announcing the Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds 2015 Workshop, March 6-7, 2015

November 17, 2014 – The U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Human Research and Engineering Directorate, Simulation and Training Technology Center’s Military Open Simulator Enterprise Strategy (MOSES) and AvaCon are pleased to announce the Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds 2015 Workshop will take place on March 6-7, 2015 in a virtual conference center designed specifically for the event.

This workshop is an active experience, with online exhibits and presentations provided in an interactive manner. Workshop participants are encouraged to engage and interact with the presenters, and the exhibits ranging from cultural training material in a mock village to scientific ethical dilemmas in a city landscape.

(Image courtesy Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds.)
(Image courtesy Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds.)

The Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds (FCVW) supports individuals and organizations from federal, state, local, and international government, academia, and corporate sectors. With a goal of improving government collaboration through the use of virtual worlds, enrichment of shared online experiences, exploration of technologies that may enhance telework, and foster cross-agency cooperation. It provides a venue to share best practices and lessons learned forthe mutual use of virtual worlds, address common challenges, and create structures to share resources.

The National Defense University iCollege established the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds (FCVW) in July 2007. The consortium was created to explore multi-agency and intra-agency collaboration using the robust capabilities of virtual worlds, examining best practices across multiple sectors. The objective of the consortium is to help government agencies to share resources, training, and experience; leverage outreach capabilities and practices; connect to new partners and business opportunities; and demonstrate the benefits for virtual worlds’ collaborative capabilities.

(Image courtesy Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds.)
(Image courtesy Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds.)

Virtual world technology has matured significantly and rapidly over the past eight years to the point where hundreds of people are able to simultaneously participate in an online event. The workshop is open to military and civilian personnel, including the public. The conference will be held entirely within an Open Simulator virtual environment, and reservations will be free for attendees.

For more information and the call for proposals, please see the conference website at consortium.militarymetaverse.org.

About OpenSimulator

OpenSimulator is an open-source platform that supports the creation of collaborative, immersive, distributed and social 3D virtual environments over the Internet. Started in 2007 and developed by individuals and organizations large and small, it has become a versatile system with which anyone can experiment. OpenSimulator software is now the basis for many “grids” of varying sizes and purposes.

About MOSES

Military Open Simulator Enterprise Strategy (MOSES) is an OpenSim-based project for the research and development of advances in virtual world technologies for use in simulation-based Warfighter training. MOSES is a coalition of military, industry, and academic partners who share a common interest in the advancement of virtual world technology for simulation based training and education. The MOSES Project seeks to address issues surrounding current game based virtual environment training systems in the two key areas of scalability and flexibility, and create a practical and deployable virtual simulation-based training system capable of providing a learner with a means to test skills in an accreditable manner.

About AvaCon

AvaCon, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the growth, enhancement, and development of the metaverse, virtual worlds, augmented reality, and 3D immersive and virtual spaces. We hold conventions and meetings to promote educational and scientific inquiry into these spaces, and to support organized fan activities, including performances, lectures, art, music, machinima, and much more. Our primary goal is to connect and support the diverse communities and practitioners involved in co-creating and using virtual worlds, and to educate the public and our constituents about the emerging ecosystem of technologies broadly known as the metaverse.