MemoryScan: Humanizing Digital Twin Environments

FAIN: HAA-287908-22

University of Central Florida Board of Trustees (Orlando, FL 32816-8005)
Lori C. Walters (Project Director: January 2022 to present)
Joseph Kider (Co Project Director: May 2022 to present)

The development of 3D virtual reality methods to help elicit memory recall from current and former residents of a community in Florida to study how this technique can aid in collecting and documenting oral histories.

The MemoryScan: Humanizing Digital Twin Environments project (MemoryScan) seeks to develop a prototype community-scale Digital Twin platform to elicit memory recall from current and former citizens and visitors of a particular community. MemoryScan will examine the potential advantages of using Digital Twins (a complete virtual representation of a building(s)) as a tool to assist the capturing of participant reflections and supporting documentation. As an interactive 3D virtual environment, it is designed to be applied to large areas, which can enable users to move between structures without interrupting the experience evoking their reflections. This Digital Twin will permit, through a shared interview/exploration the collection of personal images and documents. Our research seeks to gather personal reflections and contextualize them with a broad spectrum of information related to a community.

Media Coverage

The Way We Remember (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Robert Stephens
Publication: UCF Today
Date: 10/17/2022
Abstract: "Researchers at UCF’s School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training are merging history and computer science to bring the past back to life."
URL: https://www.ucf.edu/news/the-way-we-remember/

UCF Professors Recreate Communities of the Past with Virtual Reality (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Madeleine Mulford
Publication: CAH News
Date: 12/9/2022
Abstract: UCF College of Arts and Humanities addressing the NEH MemoryScan project.
URL: https://news.cah.ucf.edu/news/ucf-professors-recreate-communities-of-the-past-with-virtual-reality/

Associated Products

The New Era of Simulation (Article)
Title: The New Era of Simulation
Author: Nicole Dudenhoefer
Abstract: UCF Pegasus magazine article about UCF's School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training (SMST) and the Institute of Simulation and Training (IST), which houses the project PI and Co-PI. MemoryScan is one of the projects featured in the article.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/the-new-era-of-simulation/
Format: Magazine

MemoryScan Environments: Creating Large-Scale Memory-Evocative Digital Twins (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: MemoryScan Environments: Creating Large-Scale Memory-Evocative Digital Twins
Author: Lori C. Walters
Author: Robert Michlowitz
Author: Esteban Segarra Martinez
Author: Ryan McMahan
Author: Joseph Kider
Abstract: The MemoryScan project seeks to create large-scale memory-evocative digital virtual environments designed to enhance and amplify the detail and granularity of captured memories and historical recollections. This project integrates diverse data sources such as large-scale point clouds, 3D models, virtual reality interfaces, and satellite imagery to build an interactive virtual environment accessible through head-mounted displays (HMDs) or web browsers. This approach transcends traditional collection methods facilitating an enriched and multisensory engagement with the past through these digital twins, fostering a deeper connection with the historical narratives and collective memories encapsulated within this innovative digital world.
Date: 11/08/2023
Primary URL: https://2023.ieee-dtpi.org/detailed-final-program/
Conference Name: IEEE Digital Twins and Parallel Intelligence (DTPI)

MemoryScan: Smart Digital Transformation of Large-scale Environments for Eliciting Location Specific Knowledge (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: MemoryScan: Smart Digital Transformation of Large-scale Environments for Eliciting Location Specific Knowledge
Author: Robert A. Michlowitz
Author: Joseph T. Kider
Author: Lori C. Walters
Abstract: MemoryScan is a prototype community-scale virtual environment platform to elicit memory recall from current and former citizens and visitors of a selected municipality. Gathering recollections on a continuous community scale enables location-based stories to be visually tied together rather than existing as locationally independent reflections. The interdisciplinary project team will examine the potential advantages of using a spatially realistic virtual environment to assist in the capture of participant reflections and collect supporting privately held documents. Designed as a large 3D photorealistic environment, MemoryScan will use an eXtended reality (XR) Head-Mounted Display (HMD) or PC interface to permit the capture of oral reflections of a community's heritage with remote participant access. Should this project's experimental testing validate this view, the fully developed system will be made available to crowdsource information on a national scale. This system would benefit historians, anthropologists, political scientists, city planners, and others.
Date: 10/18/22
Primary URL: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9974411
Conference Name: IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Workshops (ISMARW)

MemoryScan - Cocoa Beach (Web Resource)
Title: MemoryScan - Cocoa Beach
Author: Lori Walters
Abstract: This webpage is a component of the larger ChronoPoints website addressing the MemoryScan project. It provides descriptions and updates. In addition, all MemoryScan updates are listed on the ChronoPoints blog.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://chronopoints.eecs.ucf.edu/cocoa_beach_a1a/

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