Virtual Reality Based Interface for Simulation and Evaluation of Airport APMs

Significant increase in air passenger travel have placed a real strain on air transportation facilities in the U.S. and abroad. Therefore, it is necessary to upgrade existing facilities not only for the current level of traffic but also for anticipated growth in the next millennium. Evaluations of proposed upgrades are based often in part on simulation and modeling tools. Results provided by such tools are very helpful but often lack visualization and presentation capabilities of particular interest and use to administrators, managers, and policy-makers who might lack technical backgrounds. Virtual reality and related technologies may help in the presentation of complex ideas, modeling concepts, and simulation results and may also facilitate communication between evaluation analysts and individuals involved in the decision making process. The development of virtual reality standards like Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and its successor, Extensible 3D (X3D) makes it possible for a cost effective visualization, and presentation of results. Extensible Markup Language (XML) used for X3D also enables the integration of simulation data into the presentation. This paper explores the potential usefulness of virtual reality in connection with the evaluation of the proposed Automated People Mover System at the Dulles International Airport. A special effort is made in the paper to focus on the use of virtual reality in the visualization of air passengers moving on foot from planes to the people mover. The VRML Humanoid specification (version 1.1) from the Web3D Consortium Humanoid Animation Working Group is used as a basis for visualization of passengers. A library of humanoid models has been collected and created. Simulation results are used to select humanoid models and create passengers in a virtual environment where they move along a set of paths. The virtual environment is a simplified model of a transit area at the Dulles International Airport. The user can freely navigate in the virtual environment, use some of predefined points of view or "attach" to a passenger. The results and experience from the use of the system will be used in future work that will include generalization of the results and application to other automated people mover systems.