National Institutes of Health Contracts Forterra for Potential Hazmat Training

The National Institutes of Health has contracted with Forterra to study how commercial gaming technologies can be used for a distributed, multi-player, on-ine virtual environment for hazmat training. Forterra has proposed a solution to use its OLIVE platform to create hazardous situations and evaluate users'  responses.  "The current obstacles to effective training are often geographic or cost driven, but there are also learning and retention limitations associated with traditional training that involve video and slide presentations as the mediums for this training. This experience is devoid of realism and engagement for participants," said David Rolston, Forterra’s Chief Executive Officer. "As part of this NIH contract, we will develop a distributed learning and instructional environment that will put users in an engaging and realistic virtual world where they are able to collaborate with other people rather than be inundated with boring web pages and endless PowerPoint slides. A rich, interactive environment based on game technology offers the most effective, cost-efficient way to facilitate the rapid transfer of learning and the development and sustainment of necessary skills." 

Forterra will also work with Rohde & Associates and the Federation of American Scientists to create the virtual world for hazmat training.

"We are excited to be involved with this important study sponsored by NIH," said Dr. Henry Kelly, President of the Federation of American Scientists. "People acquire new knowledge and complex skills from game play. We as an organization are working on strategies that harness the potential of emerging technologies to improve how people teach and learn. Gaming technology, like the virtual world platform developed by Forterra, provides a tool that can be leveraged by instructors and subject matter experts to provide a rich environment for the rapid transfer of learning."

Comments

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Fascinating. The Europeans already have this technology for first responder training and it was incorporated into the NY MTA project (see Intergraph Public Safety). The EVE product was provided by Eric Maranne.

http://www.3d-test.com/interviews/firefighting_1.htm

http://www.tatukgis.com/news/list/list.aspx?show=/news/list/060322_06.asp

While Forterra's position with regards to the existing standards approved for public safety work is clear, NIST played a prominent role in the creation of the ISO X3D standard. Is NIST now taking another position and funding a different set of non-standard technologies, and if so, why? These being public funds, the reasons should be as well.