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A Collaborative Forest Fire Fighting Simulation Tool

Part II : The software

Six different user interfaces (training posts) can plug into the sim server hub:

- DIREX : is an interface geared at managing the session. It's used to monitor all the activity and display it in 2D, to define day, time of day, meteorology, fire(s)and fire(s)s evolution, and enables to trigger any event that may smooth or 'spice up' the simulation (from traffic jam to mechanical breakdown, plane crash, trian / people caught in smoke, or wild animals escaped from zoo, ... well almost anything one could think of, and more ...). Only one DIREX session is active during a simulation. Also called 'GOD'...

God's view

Click on images for larger views ....

- SUPERVIS : this interface, aka 'God's eyes' is a 3D view of the playground. Any number of sessions can be ran, to the discretion of the pedagogic staff. Any object / action 3D representation can be tailored locally for each user, thus enabling a realistic to synthetic visualisation paradigm.

Most of galleries screenshots are taken from a God's eyes' screen...

- Ground Groups : this interface enables the actual 'driving' of a grouip of vehicules on the ground. Only on vehicule is manned (usually a 4 wheel drive lightweight vehicule), while the other vehicules of the group are automated (usually heavy water carriers or fire attack vehicules). Displacement and actions can be played or automated, depending on the need of the sim. There can be any number of Ground Groups ran (been up to 100 groups / 500 vehicules)

Car view

- Ground Vehicule : this interface manages a single ground vehicule. Ranging from simple cars, many kinds of water carriers, fire attack trucks, sanitarian vehicules, medics vehicules, buses, train (!), etc ... Any number of manned or automated vehicules can be run. The interface is the very same as above, minus group commands.

- AIRPLANE : this set of interfaces is used to pilot a plane or helicopter, with or without bombimg capability. It's made of several interfaces. The main is grouping Gauges and flight dynamics management. The other is a set of 3D views used for pilot and passenger immersion. There can be any number of screens combined to provide enough immersive vision. Usually a cover of roughly 200° horizontal is displayed on 4 to 7 screens, while there can be more screens for helicopter (to cover a bigger vertical FOV). Local full screen 3D displays are locked to the local Flight dynamics management system. Any number of planes / helicopters can be used.

plane controls

- AUTOMATION SUPERVISOR : since there might be more vehicules to be played than users, and since playing some vehicules is important but not critical for the formation (like water trucks logistic norias for example), this application may handle any vehicule/action automatisation.

Supervisor view

Besides the 3D simulation environment, a complete closed radio system is running to provide each user with a realistic communication environment.

In tactic level commandment training, the 'students' are manning the vehicules (or group of vehicules), while at more strategic commandment levels training, a part of the training staff is manning the vehicules.

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