Helping SOF operators train like they fight
NewsMay 09, 2024
SOF WEEK 2024 -- TAMPA, Fla. Engineers at MVRsimulation, PAR Government, and Battlespace Simulations teamed up this week to showcase how they enable operators to train realistically with equipment that matches the gear and accessories they deploy with in battle.
The demonstration at SOF Week shows the three companies' technologies in a virtual re-enactment of the live Special Forces exercise carried out in Tampa Bay at the opening of SOF week 2022. The scenario occurs in the virtual Tampa Bay environment, with a virtual-reality scene generator (VRSG)-simulated MQ-9 RPAS [remotely piloted aircraft system] sensor feed (complete with KLV metadata, or Key-Length-Value, used to embed information in video feeds), providing overwatch for the trainee's ATAK [Android Team Awareness Kit] app.
“Partnering with MVR, we created a SOF demo in a virtual environment showcasing a maritime assault” and other capabilities, says Jeff Puckett, Director of Readiness Operations, PAR Government Systems. The simulation is also pushed up to the cloud and an ATAK device, he notes.
The technology allows the instructors to be creative and throw in scenarios to see how operators react to the unexpected, he adds. "We can create these environments in as little as 48 hours."
The system actually running the demo is the MVRsimulation mixed-reality Deployable Joint Fires Trainer (DJFT), which has three cases: an Instructor’s Operator station, an Observer Mixed-Reality Station, and a Role Player Station, says Brian Young, MVRsimulation engineer. These scenarios and simulations are all built with commercial technology, he adds.
In addition to the DJFT, the demonstration also includes PAR Government’s Sit(x) TAK server; Battlespace Simulations, Inc.’s MACE, a brand new VRSG geospecific virtual replica of Tampa Bay; the Varjo mixed-reality headset; and Galaxy #GalaxyTabActive5 Pro and #GalaxyS23 Pro Tactical Edition.
The database
The geospecific high-resolution inset of Tampa Bay is one of several urban terrain databases included in the company’s VRSG database; it was built in 2024 for a project to virtually replicate the live Special Forces Operations training exercise that was carried out during an event in Tampa Bay in 2022. The project involved the MVRsimulation terrain team creating a detailed virtual representation of Tampa Bay, including geospecific models of multiple buildings (including the Tampa Convention Center), the Tampa Bay shoreline, and the yacht that is permanently moored in Tampa Bay (see photo below).
The creation of the Tampa Bay inset used CyberCity 3D's high-resolution model, textured using CityEngine, according to information from MVRsimulation. The 3D city models were compiled into the existing VRSG Tampa terrain dataset, which is part of VRSG's Southeast CONUS NAIP [National Agriculture Imagery Program] terrain drive. This data set includes one-meter NAIP imagery and elevation data compiled from 10-meter elevation data, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the region.
More than 32,000 buildings populate the terrain. These procedural city models were created using CityEngine, generated based on building footprints. High-resolution geospecific models of various buildings -- including the Tampa Convention Center, 345 Bay Shore Condominiums, and other structures around the bay -- were created by MVRsimulation, further enhancing details of the virtual Tampa Bay area. Integrated road vectors from OpenStreetMap were used to depict the road infrastructure around downtown Tampa, with several geotypical bridges added near downtown Tampa to mimic real-world structures.
The downtown area was further populated with 4,095 tree models for added realism. The terrain leveraged bathymetric data from NOAA [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] at a three-meter resolution to create the underlying shore elevation.
