A technical report of geo-specific simulation for training services:

an RTA point of viewByBy Gp Capt Chamnan Kumsap (PhD)Gp Capt Chamnan Kumsap (PhD) Wg Cdr Worakhong MeeglaWg Cdr Worakhong Meegla

LCDR Teerapong SontayamalLCDR Teerapong Sontayamal

• Introduction• Small-arm Simulator: the ‘DEMO’• Detailed components of the DEMO• Data collection for GIS – based virtual range• Simulated Environment: an interface of GIS and

Game Engine• Technological demonstration: the small-arm

simulator for the RTA infantry• Constitutive familiarity and constructive recognition • Conclusion

• Introduction• Small-arm Simulator: the ‘DEMO’• Detailed components of the DEMO• Data collection for GIS – based virtual range• Simulated Environment: an interface of GIS and

Game Engine• Technological demonstration: the small-arm

simulator for the RTA infantry• Constitutive familiarity and constructive recognition • Conclusion

Presentation Content

Introduction

• Foreign supply of simulation and training systems: huge budgets, various systems, problems for subsequent maintenance, no additional software features, lack of integration

• Indigenous expertise: software development and data contents, mapping and GIS data, infrastructure of computer hardware, needs for system integration, self-reliance for sustainable defense and security

• Foreign supply of simulation and training systems: huge budgets, various systems, problems for subsequent maintenance, no additional software features, lack of integration

• Indigenous expertise: software development and data contents, mapping and GIS data, infrastructure of computer hardware, needs for system integration, self-reliance for sustainable defense and security

Introduction … continued

• Common system architecture, system standard, system interface, system database and software development tools were proposed in the simulation and training Master Plan of DTI

• This fundamental will lead to fully integrated simulation and training systems and reflect self-reliance paradigm

• Common system architecture, system standard, system interface, system database and software development tools were proposed in the simulation and training Master Plan of DTI

• This fundamental will lead to fully integrated simulation and training systems and reflect self-reliance paradigm

Small-arm Simulator: the ‘DEMO’

• Small-arm simulator or the ‘DEMO’ is a proof-of-concept or ‘pilot project’ and start-off fundamental research

• Rationale of the ‘DEMO’: far less complicated system than other simulation and training projects, experience from private sectors, the least expensive investment but the most collaborative research platforms

• Objectives : to prepare troops for combat-ready capabilities, to expose them to a firearms mechanism and to help them acquire needed skills to handle the weapon and to ultimately make a to-shoot-or-not-to-shoot decision

• Expected output: to save irreversible ammunitions and expensive maintenance, to reduce live firing risks in a safer and lower cost of operation but more sufficient

• Small-arm simulator or the ‘DEMO’ is a proof-of-concept or ‘pilot project’ and start-off fundamental research

• Rationale of the ‘DEMO’: far less complicated system than other simulation and training projects, experience from private sectors, the least expensive investment but the most collaborative research platforms

• Objectives : to prepare troops for combat-ready capabilities, to expose them to a firearms mechanism and to help them acquire needed skills to handle the weapon and to ultimately make a to-shoot-or-not-to-shoot decision

• Expected output: to save irreversible ammunitions and expensive maintenance, to reduce live firing risks in a safer and lower cost of operation but more sufficient

Small-arm Simulator: the ‘DEMO’ … continued

Detailed components of the small-arm simulator

Unity3D was used to process and display 3D data in a page display manner that stores users’ interaction in real-time and processes displays user dialogs

Laser pointer tracking detected laser points upon the screen for use in further processing

Scenario processing was sent to the window message through a mouse click event with x, y coordinates incident upon the screen

Laser detection points falling upon the screen were read essentially to convey each image from video frame capture module processing called the blob detection

The reading frame of the video camera was used to read the screen for mapping locations

Data collection for GIS – based virtual range

• Notebook computer with MapWindow GIS installed• GPS-embedded HTC one V to collect high precision of

locations on the terrain of the photographed 3D objects• GPS Receiver to collect the information of the position and

height of 3D features on the terrain• GPS mounted Camera for shooting height-profile locations

and panoramic views of study areas • Wifi Router for a wireless network to back up the data

transmission from mobile devices to the image manager• Laser Range Finder to measure the distance of less than 30

meters from an observer

• Notebook computer with MapWindow GIS installed• GPS-embedded HTC one V to collect high precision of

locations on the terrain of the photographed 3D objects• GPS Receiver to collect the information of the position and

height of 3D features on the terrain• GPS mounted Camera for shooting height-profile locations

and panoramic views of study areas • Wifi Router for a wireless network to back up the data

transmission from mobile devices to the image manager• Laser Range Finder to measure the distance of less than 30

meters from an observer

Simulated Environment: an interface of GIS and Game Engine

•Datasets include: Digital Elevation Model (DEM), 3D models and imagery data•DEM: bare 3D terrain generated and 3D objects placed onto the terrain•3D models such as trees, buildings, roads, utility poles imported to Unity as assets•Imagery data digitized to identify objects in the scene and to specify attributes

Technological demonstration: the small-arm simulator for the RTA infantry

• The ‘DEMO’ with high mobility was demonstrated to create awareness among officers in units of the RTA infantry across the country under two objectives: to gather user requirements for system enhancement and to collect field survey and ground truth data

• Various sites apart from Kanchanaburi, Sri Saket, Chiang Rai, Prachuabkirikhan and Yala were promised to add on as potential training sites of the virtual world to reflect user requirements

• This user requirement is of strategic importance since existing systems are default of imported systems but the ‘DEMO’ now allows changing or even improving the scenarios beyond the default

• The ‘DEMO’ with high mobility was demonstrated to create awareness among officers in units of the RTA infantry across the country under two objectives: to gather user requirements for system enhancement and to collect field survey and ground truth data

• Various sites apart from Kanchanaburi, Sri Saket, Chiang Rai, Prachuabkirikhan and Yala were promised to add on as potential training sites of the virtual world to reflect user requirements

• This user requirement is of strategic importance since existing systems are default of imported systems but the ‘DEMO’ now allows changing or even improving the scenarios beyond the default

Technological demonstration … continued

• The trainees outnumber existing systems

• The trainers and trainees needed terrain-based scenarios

• The Army’s early participation truly echoes to user requirements

• The increase of the number of guns, more tracks to accommodate trainees in actual practice, more advanced computer graphics system to enhance training realism

• Full training cycle of computer-based training, physical training and after action review of training

• The trainees outnumber existing systems

• The trainers and trainees needed terrain-based scenarios

• The Army’s early participation truly echoes to user requirements

• The increase of the number of guns, more tracks to accommodate trainees in actual practice, more advanced computer graphics system to enhance training realism

• Full training cycle of computer-based training, physical training and after action review of training

Points and issues as the following:

research and development collaboration• Department of Land

Development of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Public Organization) or GISTDA for public sector

• Royal Thai Army and Royal Thai Air Force for system users and military sector

• Academic sector for terrain database and geo-spatial data collection

• Private sectors for hardware and equipment

• Department of Land Development of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Public Organization) or GISTDA for public sector

• Royal Thai Army and Royal Thai Air Force for system users and military sector

• Academic sector for terrain database and geo-spatial data collection

• Private sectors for hardware and equipment

The project involved geo-spatial experts and expertise from various institutions across the country that drive strategic collaboration of research and development

Constitutive familiarity and constructive recognition

• Collective 80 officers of the Army Infantry units at the time of technological demonstration were asked for constitutive familiarity and constructive recognition

• With help from an image map showing the whole country, more than 80% of the viewers managed to match the 3D rendered scenes with their real locations

• When asked randomly and personally, they responded with no surprise that they knew the real place and at least 60% of them have been to the sites on mission before

• Twenty six officers were local of those places, then, familiar almost instantly with the scene

• There is a need for further study on the other 16 people with no clues about the sites to study the terrain thoroughly before assigned with missions to execute there

• Collective 80 officers of the Army Infantry units at the time of technological demonstration were asked for constitutive familiarity and constructive recognition

• With help from an image map showing the whole country, more than 80% of the viewers managed to match the 3D rendered scenes with their real locations

• When asked randomly and personally, they responded with no surprise that they knew the real place and at least 60% of them have been to the sites on mission before

• Twenty six officers were local of those places, then, familiar almost instantly with the scene

• There is a need for further study on the other 16 people with no clues about the sites to study the terrain thoroughly before assigned with missions to execute there

The simulated environment presented to viewers

Constitutive familiarity and constructive recognition … continued

• Of 26 officers who found that it was difficult to recognize the rendered scenes were local officers who were away from there for quite some time with slight recall of the real landscape

• 38 subjects managed to identify predominant objects assumed to be a land mark of the place geographically placed on terrain exactly where they were

• Some of the viewers complained about the variety and photorealism of the 3D tree models used, due mostly to a limited number of available 3D models being used

• The low photorealism that caught viewers’ eye calls for an interface of GIS and Game Engine that magically plays with human eyes to visualize geo-specific scenarios

• Of 26 officers who found that it was difficult to recognize the rendered scenes were local officers who were away from there for quite some time with slight recall of the real landscape

• 38 subjects managed to identify predominant objects assumed to be a land mark of the place geographically placed on terrain exactly where they were

• Some of the viewers complained about the variety and photorealism of the 3D tree models used, due mostly to a limited number of available 3D models being used

• The low photorealism that caught viewers’ eye calls for an interface of GIS and Game Engine that magically plays with human eyes to visualize geo-specific scenarios

Conclusion• The proposed simulation and training system and others to follow of DTI

have been widely welcomed by the RTA Infantry subunits• Disparity between the existing and the proposed ones was promised to

resolve with the implementation of fundamental research and development en route for five important pillars

• The small-arm simulator as the DEMO is an obvious evidence of the proof-of-concept and the means to gather user requirements from the Army point of view

• Thorough terrain analysis that is indispensable to Infantry training courses was reported to provide constitutive familiarity and constructive recognition via 3D terrain visualization and modeling

• This report reaffirms the significance of geo-spatial data and techniques especially 3D modeling to training services of the Army Infantry

• Geo-spatial data does play a crucial role in the abstraction of geographic bit to connect geo-specific scenarios to military simulation and training

• However, a lot more needs further and intensive scrutiny to render a proper level of photorealism that meets visualization-greedy requirements

• The proposed simulation and training system and others to follow of DTI have been widely welcomed by the RTA Infantry subunits

• Disparity between the existing and the proposed ones was promised to resolve with the implementation of fundamental research and development en route for five important pillars

• The small-arm simulator as the DEMO is an obvious evidence of the proof-of-concept and the means to gather user requirements from the Army point of view

• Thorough terrain analysis that is indispensable to Infantry training courses was reported to provide constitutive familiarity and constructive recognition via 3D terrain visualization and modeling

• This report reaffirms the significance of geo-spatial data and techniques especially 3D modeling to training services of the Army Infantry

• Geo-spatial data does play a crucial role in the abstraction of geographic bit to connect geo-specific scenarios to military simulation and training

• However, a lot more needs further and intensive scrutiny to render a proper level of photorealism that meets visualization-greedy requirements

Thank youFor further dialogue, please contact:

Gp Capt Chamnan Kumsap (PhD): Gp Capt Chamnan Kumsap (PhD): chamnan.k@dti.or.th chamnan.k@dti.or.thWg Cdr Worakhong Meegla: Wg Cdr Worakhong Meegla: worakong.m@dti.or.thworakong.m@dti.or.th LCDR Teerapong Sontayamal: LCDR Teerapong Sontayamal: teerapong.s@dti.or.thteerapong.s@dti.or.th

Or write to us at:Or write to us at:Office of the Permanent Secretary of Defence Building,

47/433 4th Floor, Changwattana Road, Pakkred, Nonthaburi 11120 Thailand

www.dti.or.th