Virtual Worlds and Immersive Internet White Paper

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
OFFICE OF OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
Virtual Worlds and Immersive

Internet
Recommendations for NOAA Strategic

Engagement
White Paper
July 2009
Prepared by:
Derek Parks
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
Tel: 301-734-1186
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this white paper is to demonstrate the utility of Immersive Internet
technologies, including Virtual Worlds, for accomplishing the mission goals of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The paper will seek to
demonstrate the value of the technology for improving NOAA’s education and
outreach activities, streamlining and reducing cost in our existing business
processes, as well as fostering a sense of corporate community and innovation to
guide the agency through the next century.
The Immersive Internet combines 3-D Internet technology with direct

communications and social networking to produce a new and cost-effective
environment for learning and business applications. This environment facilitates
instant, sometimes spontaneous, collaboration and interaction, which allow
participants to take advantage of each other’s unique perspectives and input to
understand complex issues and solve problems. The business and technical
networks that result can be an ongoing resource for future organizational problem
solving.
NOAA has its own virtual space on a technology platform called Second Life
(http://secondlife.com/ ). This first NOAA exploration of Virtual Worlds and
Immersive Internet started as a way to expand and promote OAR’s Earth System
Research Laboratory exhibit, Science on a Sphere. The virtual Science on a Sphere
used the same visualizations and data as the real world Spheres but allowed access
to people who may not have been able to get to one of the real world installations.
In addition to the virtual Island on Second Life, NOAA has also expanded its reach
into more mainstream websites, such as YouTube through the use of a virtual
technology called Machinima. Machinima uses the 3-D rendering capabilities of
Virtual Worlds and combines it with a video editing functionality to create machine
cinema or machinima.
Why Immersive Internet and Virtual Worlds?
First, and most importantly, Immersive Internet technology is cheaper and more
effective than many existing tools NOAA currently uses to support its mission
functions.
Secondly, NOAA has already made an initial investment in development time and
human resources to create a Virtual World. Although this is not a justification for
continued expenditure per se, the expertise gained will allow for a more rapid
development cycle and a quicker return on investment in the future.
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Third, the next generations of scientists and engineers are growing up now in a
different world from that of 30 years ago The broad application of immersive
technologies at NOAA will not only attract new employees, but will enable them to
become productive much quicker as they will be intimately familiar with the
technologies being employed.
Lastly, NOAA is a pre-eminent science agency with its foundation built upon
research and development. Demonstrating leadership in the federal workforce by
developing new applications for these tools will keep NOAA at the forefront of U.S.
federal agencies. At the same time, working smarter, faster, and cheaper through
the application of technology will allow NOAA to meet the high standards set by the
Obama Administration for a cost-effective and open government.
As with any new process, there will be specific challenges and barriers to adoption
that will need to be overcome. Despite these initial hurdles, a strategic application
of immersive tools will help NOAA effectively accomplish its mission in a cost-
effective manner and with a high-return on investment.
Applications across NOAA’s Functional Model
NOAA’s Functional Model divides the Agency into three main functions: Manage,
Create, and Serve. Within each function, there are major sub-areas and activities
where immersive technology can boost productivity and overall effectiveness at a
relatively low cost to the Agency. Specifically, immersive technology can provide
improved functionality at a lower cost in the following areas:
Workforce Management and Training
A NOAA Career and Worklife Center built in Second Life or similar application
would help NOAA accomplish its goals of creating a responsive, high-
performance culture; promoting knowledge-sharing, continuous learning and
improvement; encouraging a climate of open communications; and attracting
a diverse workforce with the competencies necessary to accomplish the
Agency mission. It would also directly meet the stated goal strategy of
“ensure training and development programs build needed competencies,
including more effective incorporation of knowledge sharing, mentoring, and
distance learning of employees”.
Policy and Administration: Mission Support
NOAA already has the basic technical infrastructure in place on the NOAA
Island to immediately enable pilot projects in mission support. Staff meetings
where participants are located in multiple time zones and where interactivity
and collaboration are important would be the most useful application of the
technology. For example, regional team meetings, program and goal team
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planning sessions, and cross-line, cross-discipline science meetings would be

logical starting points.
Communications and Education
NOAA has a mandate to educate the public, as defined in the America

COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69). NOAA’s Education Strategic Plan for 2009-2029
outlines two overarching goals under this mandate, the first of which is
improving environmental literacy. To accomplish this goal, the NOAA
Education Council has recognized the importance of new technology on
learning. The Council stressed “advances in technology change the way we
interact as a society and impact our view of the world around us. Maintaining
a presence in this new information age and keeping educational approaches
relevant to new learning modalities are important to the continued success of
NOAA’s environmental literacy goal”1. NOAA’s continued investment in
immersive and Virtual World technologies is imperative to ensure the broad
reach and continued relevancy of our educational message in the next 20
years
Scientific Collaboration and Decision Support
The NOAA Annual Guidance Memorandum stresses collaboration and

transparency as an overarching management principle for NOAA to
accomplish its mission. Opening a virtual laboratory where pre-eminent
scientists from the public sector, private sector, and academia can meet and
discuss issues critical to NOAA’s mission is an elegant and cost-effective way
of ensuring we adhere to this principle.
Challenges
There are a number of challenges that could negatively impact NOAA’s ability to
take advantage of the full potential of the Immersive Internet. These challenges
range from cultural to technical and will need to be carefully planned for during the
implementation phase of any Immersive Internet project.
As mentioned earlier, the concept and technology behind Virtual Worlds and
immersive environments came largely from the software gaming industry. Although
a number of organizations and government agencies have a long history of using
computer simulations to replicate the natural environment for the purposes of
training or modeling systems behavior, there are still reservations about funding
Virtual Worlds projects. These reservations are largely tied to the perception of
Virtual Worlds as games and not serious business applications.
1
NOAA Education Strategic Plan 2009-2029, p 16,
http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf
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A related concern and similar double-edged sword is the public nature of Virtual
Worlds. While public involvement and feedback, especially from stakeholders, is a
primary benefit to using these technologies, NOAA will need to consider the
audience for different applications and determine how to best secure the
environment so children are always 100 percent protected and activities remain
appropriate for a U.S. government agency.
A large portion of NOAA staff are not allowed to download the Second Life
application and access the NOAA Virtual World from their work desktops due to
existing “desktop core configuration” guidelines, as well as security restrictions
related specifically to the design of the Second Life platform and its requirement to
open multiple access doorways in the corporate firewall.
Other Federal Agencies are experiencing the same difficulties and this is prompting
Federal CIOs to establish government-wide policies that will cover both immersive
and social media sites. It will be important for the NOAA Chief Information Officer to
be engaged in helping to find creative solutions to these potential problems as they
arise.
Similarly, NOAA’s corporate planning and oversight entities have not moved at the
same speed as NOAA’s virtual presence and the organization is now faced with
some strategic questions and disconnects. For example, who should own NOAA’s
virtual presence? Who funds these activities and how are they planned? What
business cases will generate the most return on investment for NOAA? And most
importantly, is this technology even worth any investment in time or resources by
NOAA?
To remedy the uncertainty surrounding NOAA’s Immersive Internet capabilities,

corporate support, both political and financial, are needed from the highest levels.
Established funding mechanisms will demonstrate a commitment on the part of
NOAA leadership to using new technology. They will also allow NOAA developers to
focus on development work for NOAA instead of seeking internal and external
project-by-project funding. Lastly, a corporate funding mechanism will ensure each
Line Office contributes equally for the benefits they are receiving.
Recommendations
Virtual Worlds and Immersive Internet technologies are valuable tools NOAA can
utilize to accomplish its mission goals more effectively and at a lower cost than the
current applications. Rather than replace current practice, these tools will
complement existing applications to save money and improve effectiveness, while
keeping NOAA at the forefront of internet technology. We are proposing the
following overarching recommendations for NOAA leadership to undertake in the
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next 5 years to build the foundation needed to take advantage of the internet
technology opportunities available now and in the future.
1. Create sustained governance and funding mechanisms for NOAA’s corporate

use of Immersive Internet technology
2. Remove corporate barriers to entry for staff to use immersive technologies
3. Integrate Immersive Technologies with corporate strategic plans for long

term development
4. Maximize current investment in Virtual Worlds communications and

educational content
Conclusion
There is tremendous utility for NOAA in using Immersive Internet Technologies,

including Virtual Worlds, for accomplishing its mission goals. We have demonstrated
the value of the technology for improving NOAA’s education and outreach activities,
streamlining and reducing cost in our existing business processes, as well as
fostering a sense of corporate community and innovation to guide the agency
through the next century.
NOAA now needs to make the necessary corporate investments, in planning and
funding, to take best advantage of the benefits inherent in these new business
technologies and to maintain its leadership as a world-class science and technology
organization.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................3
Table of Contents....................................................................................................... 8
Introduction.............................................................................................................. 10
Purpose.................................................................................................................10
What is the Immersive Internet?...........................................................................10
What are Virtual Worlds and how are they related?..............................................12
From Science Fiction to Reality: Immersion and the New Reality ........................12
Virtual NOAA: Welcome to Our Second Life.............................................................20
Machinima............................................................................................................. 21
Links for Additional Information:........................................................................21
A Strategy for a Virtual NOAA...................................................................................21
Why Immersive Internet and Virtual Worlds?........................................................22
Applications to NOAA’s Functional Model..............................................................23
MANAGE – Human Capital: Workforce Management and Training........................24
MANAGE – Policy and Administration: Mission Support........................................25
SERVE: Education and Communications...............................................................26
CREATE/SERVE: Scientific Collaboration and Decision Support............................27
Challenges and Barriers to Adoption.....................................................................28
Recommendations....................................................................................................31
Conclusion................................................................................................................ 35
Appendix 1: Sample Projects and Timelines............................................................36
Short Term (1-5 years).......................................................................................36
Medium Term (5-10 years).................................................................................36
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Long Term (10+ years)......................................................................................36
Appendix 2: NOAA’s Second Life Attractions...........................................................37
Appendix 3: A Selection of Virtual Worlds Technology Providers.............................39
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Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this white paper is to demonstrate the utility of Immersive Internet
Technologies, including Virtual Worlds, for accomplishing the mission goals of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The paper will seek to
demonstrate the value of the technology for improving NOAA’s education and
To achieve these goals, NOAA will need to make corporate investments, both in
planning and funding in the coming years. This paper will define four key functional
areas where strategic investments will yield the greatest return on investment.
Within these functional areas, the paper will make specific recommendations for
projects that both relate to the strategic goals and objectives of the functional area,
as well as the mission and vision of NOAA as an agency.
Before delving into the recommendations for NOAA, it is essential the reader have a
basic understanding of the technology in question, as well as some background on
NOAA’s involvement to date. Following is a brief overview with links to additional
resources for more information.
What is the Immersive Internet?

Information Technology Analysts ThinkBalm define the Immersive Internet as “a
collection of emerging technologies combined with a social culture that has roots in
gaming and Virtual Worlds.
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Source: ThinkBalm
Think IMAX® movies, surround sound, and World of Warcraft® applied to the Web
and business applications, and you’ve got the Immersive Internet. What we once
called Virtual Worlds as a catch-all category now only describes one small piece of
the picture. Other important elements are virtual campuses or 3D intranets,
immersive learning environments and serious games, and 3D business applications.
What these all have in common is that they deeply engage — even engross — the
person who is using them. A combination of these technologies and an emerging
culture with roots in gaming is opening up new dimensions in collaboration,
engagement, and context.”2
The Immersive Internet combines 3D Internet technology with direct

communications and social networking to produce a new and cost-effective
environment for learning and business applications. This environment facilitates
instant, sometimes spontaneous, collaboration and interaction, which allow
participants to take advantage of each other’s unique perspectives and input to
understand complex issues and solve problems. The business and technical
networks that result can be an ongoing resource for future organizational problem
solving.
These technologies also allow users to operate outside the “real-world” constraints
of time and the laws of physics. Brainstorming and modeling can be done in 4
dimensions and retained for use in the future. Users can interact with designs and
data models directly, which allows for a new level of understanding. Teleportation
from one location to the next, is not only possible, but is the norm.
2
ThinkBalm Industry Analysis - http://thinkbalm.com/immersive-internet/
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“Adoption of the Immersive Internet for work is still in the ‘seedling’ stage.
[ThinkBalm] expect adoption will progress rapidly toward mainstream during the
next five years because:
• A slow economy and the green movement are influencing business decisions
• Early case studies demonstrate return on investment
• We live in a video game culture
• Large business technology vendors are jumping into the fray
• Hardware, software, and networking technology have advanced rapidly
• Social networking is a way of life, allowing advocates and implementers to find
each other “3
What are Virtual Worlds and how are they related?

Virtual Worlds are a sub-set of the immersive web-based technologies that allow
people to enter into and interact with a computer-generated simulation or “world”.
According to Wikipedia, a Virtual World is “a computer-simulated world and
presents perceptual stimuli to the user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the
modeled world and thus experiences telepresence to a certain degree. Such
modeled worlds may appear similar to the real world or instead depict fantasy
worlds… Communication between users has ranged from text, graphical icons,
visual gesture, [and ] sound… with real-time voice communication using Voice Over
IP also possible.” 4
The immersion of the participant in the Virtual World allows for enhanced
experiences and information exchange beyond those available through the more
traditional written word, photo, or video. The addition of collaboration and social
interaction in real time and with no constraints based on location of participants has
driven this technology beyond the gaming community, into the real world. The
applications for this technology, such as distributed problem solving, training,
education, and interactivity/awareness, are tremendous and can be of great utility
to businesses, universities, and governments who choose to take advantage of the
opportunity.
From Science Fiction to Reality: Immersion and the New

Reality
For the mainstream public, the concept of a Virtual World and immersion are still
rooted in the realm of fantasy. The futuristic Hollywood depictions of human-
machine interfaces, such as Tron and The Matrix, still hold sway over public opinion.
3
The Immersive Internet: Make Tactical Moves Today for Strategic Advantage Tomorrow,
November 2008, P. 2, ThinkBalm. http://thinkbalm.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/thinkbalm-
immersive-internet-report-nov-20084.pdf
4
Wikipedia: Virtual World: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_worlds 12 | P a g e
Likewise, the popular gaming origins of Virtual Worlds have tended to slow their
adoption into mainstream business applications. Most working adults don’t have
the time, patience, nor interest, to sit down and explore an online “world”,
especially if there is not a fairly high perceived benefit to them.
However, just 30 years ago most average adults would have also rolled their eyes at
the idea of getting their daily news through “a series of tubes” or at using a
community-generated encyclopedia that was not only generally accurate, but also
self-regulating. Likewise, the thought of putting one’s personal photos and private
details up on a public message board, along with a stream of your most mundane
and trivial thoughts, would have likely seemed the work of the deranged, not the
hottest social trend since the Rubik’s cube. In short, the world has changed – a lot.
The one constant, in fact, is the evolution of human ideas and culture. So how do
immersive technology and Virtual Worlds fit in to the bigger picture? What is the
future of human collaboration and interaction on the Web? While we cannot know
for sure, we can certainly make some educated guesses.
Beyond Rapid Access to Information
In today’s society, people are constantly bombarded by information in many

different forms. The result is people have little patience for reading through reams
of documentation, especially if it is dry and overly complex. Professional
communicators make subjects more accessible by adding a story-telling
component, which facilitates visualization and storage of memories, or photos and
video, which aid in associating memories and in future recall of information. A
logical extension of these communications techniques is immersion - where the
participant is actually experiencing and, to a degree, controlling the environment to
create their own personalized story.
Imagine a scenario where you are researching a topic through Google or another
search engine, and instead of linking to a website with multiple text pages, you
instead link into a 3-dimensional, Virtual World. The 3-D space would be viewed
directly on the screen or even projected into or around a room for a greater sense
of immersion. The images available would be photo or video quality, so there would
be no need to suspend disbelief. Rather, you would be interacting directly with a
simulation in a very real world way. The experience would be natural, intuitive, and
highly effective at delivering information and encouraging retention.
Take Ocean Acidification for example. Today a Google search on OA results in links
to the Wikipedia definition, the Ocean Acidification Network, and the PMEL OA
Homepage, as the top three results. An interested person can read on the subject
and follow the various links to learn about the Carbon Cycle and atmosphere-ocean
interactions, pteropods, coral bleaching, coral ecosystems, and such. In order to
gain something beyond a cursory understanding of the subject, one would need to
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do a lot of reading and not get derailed along the way by the range of complex
terminology and complex charts that are better suited to a more detailed scientific
discussion.
Changes in atmospheric CO2 under the "business as usual" scenario to the year 2100 and associated changes in
ocean pH and carbon chemsitry. Adapted from Wolf-Gladrow et al., 1999 (9). 5
However, if the interested public could take a quick tour of a virtual ocean that
rapidly simulates an end-to-end process of ocean acidification in a clear, interactive,
and entertaining fashion, the person would likely retain the knowledge and possibly
be more motivated to explore the topic. Having seen first-hand the beauty of the
coral reef environment, the fish that live there, and then having watched them
slowly die away, the person may feel a deeper connection to the issue and even be
inspired to do something about the problem. An Immersive Internet site has the
potential to deliver these results, which is a powerful tool for accomplishing NOAA’s
communications and education missions.
Serious Games for Education and Business
On the business side, immersive environments have a number of different

applications that can provide high benefit at a relatively low cost. Consider, for
example, the possibility of sending new NOAA employees, or individuals who might
be interested in applying for a science job one day, to visit a virtual NOAA job
orientation center. This center could have 3-D representations of some or all NOAA
facilities – each accurate down to the smallest detail – where visitors could immerse
themselves in the key science activities underway at each facility. The new or
prospective employee could be given a guided tour of the facility by a computer-
controlled docent or could interact directly with NOAA scientists in the lab who are
holding “office hours” or happen to be conducting a virtual component to their field
work at the time. This type of immersive “on-boarding” would be a great
5
Graphic taken from http://www.ocean-acidification.net/ for illustrative purposes.
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improvement over the existing NOAA 101 slides and could contribute to recruiting
the next generation of NOAA scientists.
Expand this same concept to training for existing NOAA employees, especially those
who are about to undertake difficult or dangerous jobs. Scenario-based training
simulations and games build needed skills in a safe and controlled environment
providing the necessary hours of practice before sending someone into the field.
The U.S. military has been using this type of simulation training for years and is now
moving heavily into immersive technology to provide lower cost supplements to
their live training simulations.
By providing an easily customizable development platform, Virtual Worlds

technology can save NOAA money while providing a safe and secure training
environment. Similarly, COOP exercises could be conducted in a virtual
environment and expanded to include virtual NOAA operations in the case of a true
emergency in the Washington, DC/Silver Spring area. The benefits to the Agency
would be high, while the cost and time commitment would be relatively low for a
net savings to the Agency.
Global Collaboration and Interaction
Think of the potential for global scientific collaboration through a persistent

environmental laboratory that exists exclusively in a virtual space and is dedicated
to solving the greatest scientific problems of the day. Scientists from many
disciplines, organizations, and from locations around the world could collaborate
directly to develop sophisticated models and elegant solutions to global issues such
as climate change. These scientists could bring together experience from the broad
range of physical and social sciences to create solutions for public benefit.
Likewise, decision-makers from the impacted areas could feed into the development
process to improve the end products and services early in the process.
In the real world, this type of real-time, ongoing collaboration is difficult and cost-
prohibitive. In a persistent virtual space, collaboration can happen continuously
with scientists and decision makers jumping in and out of the discussion and
activities as their schedules allow. The potential benefits and cost savings are
tremendous.
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Meetings and More: Productivity at a Lower Cost
What are the costs associated with flying people around the country and around the
globe to attend meetings? While conference calls, VTC, and Webinars can provide
some degree of interaction, they are often poor substitutes for the productivity of a
face-to-face meeting. The solution is the Virtual Workplace.
The Virtual Workplace

will become the rule
No need to leave the office.

Just bring it along. Desk
phones and desktop
computers will gradually
disappear, replaced by mobile
devices, including laptops,
that take on traditional office
capabilities. Social networking
tools and Virtual World
meeting experiences will
simulate the feeling on being
their in-person. Work models
will be changed by expanded
globalization and green
business initiatives that
reduce travel and encourage
work at home.
“The definition of “meetings”

will radically transform and
become increasingly ad-hoc
and instantaneous based on
context and need. 3-D Virtual
World and gaming
technologies will significantly
influence online corporate
meeting experiences to
deliver more life-like
experiences demanded by the
next generation workers who
will operate more efficiently in
this familiar environment.”
Mike Rhodin, General Manager

of IBM Lotus software
http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/ibm-sounds-death-knell-for-desktop-pc-270127
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All traditional business gatherings, such as meetings, conventions, retreats, etc.,

can now be done virtually. Virtual Worlds, such as Second Life, combine Voice over
Internet Protocol and text-based communications capabilities, with simulated
representations of participants – called avatars – to allow users to come together
quickly and at a very low cost. The use of avatars and real-time voice
communications over the internet allow for an interactive experience that is
comparable to a face-to-face meeting. Meetings can actually be more productive,
as side-bar conversations can happen via text messaging without disturbing the
flow of the meeting.
Joanne Martin, President, IBM Academy of Technology said “The meeting in Second
Life was everything that you could do at a traditional conference and more, at one
fifth the cost and without a single case of jet lag”.6
Over 200 of IBM’s conference participants were offered pre-conference training on

the basics of Second Life to allow them to become comfortable with communicating
and navigating in this virtual environment. According to IBM their return on
investment (ROI) for the Virtual World Conference was roughly $320,000 and the
Annual Meeting was completed at one-fifth the cost of a real world event, and many
IBM staff members were converted to Virtual World advocates because of the
benefits and ease of use in attending virtually. Craig Becker, Global Architect, IBM
Digital Convergence said “We truly felt as if we had attended a real-time meeting,
interacting with others and carrying home practical information”.7 This significant
success has led to IBM using this Virtual World’s environment for meeting and
discussions regularly throughout the year increasing their communication,
collaboration and efficiency. According to IBM Marketing Executive, Karen Keeter,
“Twenty different organizations asked to do meetings in-world the week following
the IBM conference”, Linden Research, Inc. (2009), a testimony to how Virtual World
conferences and meetings can have a positive impact on business during the
current down-turn in the economy.8
Pandemic Panic: Contingency Planning for the 21st Century
As we begin the 21st Century, NOAA is managing a workforce with its leadership and
the majority of its staff offices located in two locations in the Washington, DC metro
6
Linden Research, Inc. (2009)
7
Linden Research, Inc. (2009). How meeting in Second Life transformed IBM’s technology
elite into Virtual World believers. Case Study. Retrieved May 8, 2009 from
http://secondlifegrid.net.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/Second_Life_Case_IBM.pdf
8
Linden Research, Inc. (2009). How meeting in Second Life transformed IBM’s technology
elite into Virtual World believers. Case Study. Retrieved May 8, 2009 from
http://secondlifegrid.net.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/Second_Life_Case_IBM.pdf
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area. The remainder of NOAA’s workforce is distributed across the United States in
Labs, Science Centers, and at cooperative institutes, which poses a number of
communications and management challenges. Added to the difficulty of managing
a distributed workforce is the reality of managing headquarters operations in a
densely populated city with considerable traffic and transportation issues. Past
events, such as the terrorist attacks of September 2001 and the Metro accident of
June 2009 demonstrate the potential impact to NOAA operations when the next
incident occurs. Of particular concern is the scenario where the DC metro area is
impacted by a chemical or biological attack or is stricken with a naturally occurring
pandemic. Public transportation would not be a viable option for getting to and
from work and having large numbers of staff in a single location would not be
possible or advisable, depending upon the scenario. Continuity of Operations
scenarios account for short term disturbances, but what about scenarios, such as a
pandemic, where the disturbance is longer in duration and may preclude leadership
gathering as a group in a single location? How does the Agency continue to
function? Conference calls and email offer a partial solution, but are limited in their
effectiveness. A 24-hour virtual operations center, on the other hand, would allow
staff to come and go, create and post information for others to see, hold meetings,
and generally continue operations at a high level of effectiveness. To date, no
central NOAA repository exists for this type of activity to happen in the case of an
emergency.
As you can see from the examples above, the potential for the expanded use of
immersive tools is very high. As computing speeds increase and bandwidth
concerns diminish, immersive environments will become more integrated into the
existing web infrastructure and, as a result, will be more familiar to the average
person. Activities that are done today in a flat, two-dimensional space on the web
will be migrated to mixed 2-D and 3-D environments – picture yourself at the
computer and entering a virtual electronics store, you direct your virtual self – your
avatar – to pick up that new iPod for closer inspection. Seeking more information,
you click on a spec chart. Needing even more information, you chat with a virtual
associate, and possibly with another customer who is also looking at digital music
players. You make your decision and complete your transaction via the traditional
web interface. This is not science fiction, but is coming to your favorite websites in
the near future. Immersive environments are moving beyond gaming and
becoming part of our daily lives. As we shall see, NOAA is already a key player in
this transition.
Links for additional information:

• The Immersive Internet: Make Tactical Moves Today for Strategic Advantage
Tomorrow (ThinkBalm) - http://thinkbalm.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/thinkbalm-
immersive-internet-report-nov-20084.pdf
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• Conferences Go Virtual (CNBC Video) - http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?

video=1047748741&play=1
• Immersive Internet Technology is no Video Game (The Industry Standard) -
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/06/04/immersive-internet-technology-no-video-game
• Real Organizations Find Success in the Virtual World (Linden Labs) -
http://www.secondlifegrid.net/casestudies
Virtual NOAA: Welcome to Our Second Life

Many may still be surprised to know that NOAA has its own virtual space on a
technology platform called Second Life (http://secondlife.com/ ). This first NOAA
exploration of Virtual Worlds and Immersive Internet started as a way to expand
and promote Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Earth System Research
Laboratory (ESRL) exhibit, Science on a Sphere. The virtual Science on a Sphere
used the same visualizations and data as the real world Spheres but allowed access
to people who may not have been able to get to one of the real world installations.
From these humble and experimental beginnings, the NOAA island grew and
eventually expanded to include science exhibits from across the NOAA Lines and
Goals (for a list of current NOAA exhibits, see Appendix 1). At the same time,
NOAA’s exhibits have gradually transitioned from a live experimental activity to an
operational communications and outreach activity. In fact, NOAA, along with NASA,
is a U.S. Government leader in the virtual space and NOAA’s development staff at
ESRL are widely considered to be innovators
and industry leaders in the use and
development of Virtual Worlds.
In FY08, the Alaska Regional Collaboration

Team (ARCTic) partnered with ESRL to
expand the NOAA offerings through an
exhibit called Virtual Alaska. This virtual
environment highlights the State of Alaska,
specifically the fisheries and the marine
ecosystem environment. Virtual Alaska was
expanded in FY09 to highlight climate
changes in the ecosystem, including the
marine environment, Tongass National
Forest, and the glacial system (i.e., changes
such as an interactive exhibit on glacial ice melt, melting permafrost that creates a
drunken forest, and a demonstration highlighting the effects of climate change on
the fishing industry).
The Virtual Alaska collaboration has been particularly notable as it also spawned the
Second Life Educators in Alaska (SLED-Alaska) developers’ community. SLED-
20 | P a g e
Alaska is a community of educators in Alaska exploring and working in Second Life

and Virtual Alaska is their home base. In 2009, community members received a
week of intensive training on development tools within the Second Life application.
They have since begun working on their own projects to enhance the educational
benefits of Virtual Alaska. This collaboration is a good example of how immersive
environments can spur private-public interactions for expanding and improving
NOAA’s education and outreach capabilities.
Machinima
In addition to the virtual Island on Second Life, NOAA has also expanded its reach
into more mainstream websites, such as YouTube through the use of a virtual
technology called Machinima. Machinima uses the 3-D rendering capabilities of
Virtual Worlds and combines it with a video editing functionality to create machine
cinema or machinima.
NOAA’s development team has created a series of machinima clips highlighting the
NOAA virtual Island and its features. These clips are posted to real-world websites,
such as YouTube where they are expanding the reach of NOAA’s Island well beyond
the Second Life platform. These products are inexpensive to produce and can reach
a much broader audience than the exhibits on the island itself. To cite an example,
the NOAA virtual Island introductory video9 was launched in 2007 and has since
received nearly 26,000 individual viewers from around the world.
On a broader level, machinima can be used to record events that take place on the
island and blend them with 2-D or 3-D images or text and narration for a lasting
record of important meetings or town hall interactions. Similarly, machinima can
also be blended with real world video to produce cinematic quality pieces for
education, outreach, or entertainment. In that respect, machinima is a very cost
effective tool which could be used to compliment and augment NOAA’s current
spectrum of photo and video products.
Links for Additional Information:

• NOAA Machinima examples on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?
p=EA744675A7829CA2&search_query=noaa+virtual
A Strategy for a Virtual NOAA

The vision for a Virtual NOAA is one where the Agency continues to build upon its
status as an innovator in the Immersive Internet space by applying existing and
9
NOAA Virtual Island: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is8YX32GAyQ
21 | P a g e
future technology in a strategic and cost-effective manner to directly support its

functions and mission goals.
Why Immersive Internet and Virtual Worlds?

First, and most importantly, Immersive Internet technology is cheaper and more
effective than many existing tools NOAA currently uses to support its mission
functions. As we have shown, the Immersive Internet offers a unique set of
capabilities that improve engagement and retention in a relatively low cost
environment. For example, a typical, full function Web Ex through Cisco for three
people for an hour would cost approximately $95, not including the fixed cost of
maintaining the NOAA network. The same meeting held on NOAA’s Second Life
Island would cost $ 1.15, plus any nominal fees for uploading documents, and the
pro-rated amount for development costs already invested to create the virtual
infrastructure to host the meeting on the island. As before, the fixed cost of
maintaining the NOAA network is not included.10 These tools can therefore be an
extremely valuable addition to an overall business strategy.
Within NOAA, immersive technology could be applied across the entire functional
model from management of the enterprise, to creation of data information and
knowledge, and service to the public. The common benefits of immersion, including
direct interactivity and collaboration, suspension of time and place, improved
communication and knowledge retention, and low cost, make immersive technology
a logical choice for targeted investment to support recruitment, training, education,
and scientific collaboration. Low cost video production capabilities using machinima
would likewise be a boon for communications.
Secondly, NOAA has already made an initial investment in development time and
human resources to create a Virtual World. Although this is not a justification for
continued expenditure per se, the expertise gained will allow for a more rapid
development cycle and a quicker return on investment in the future. In fact,
NOAA’s development team has been contracted by other Federal agencies to
develop large scale immersive projects to support their missions. Any lessons
learned from these activities will most certainly benefit future work for NOAA.
10
Cisco estimated costs from Cisco website: https://my.webex.com/ppu_calc.html. Second
Life costs based on the following: Estimated annual Cost for rent on virtual land in Second
Life 10,000/365 = daily cost ($27). Daily cost 27/24= hourly cost ($1.15). There is no per
user fee in Second Life, so the more participants, the more cost effective. The functional
limit for meetings in Second Life is approximately 40 people at any one time.
22 | P a g e
Third, the next generations of scientists and engineers are growing up now in a
different world from that of 30 years ago.
Information is being delivered and accessed in many
ThinkBalm.
management.
resources management, and remote system and facility
prototyping, collaborative 3D data visualization, human
business activity simulation, collaborative design and
areas: learning and training, meetings and conferences,
opportunities to improve business processes in seven main
for making sound larger investments in the future. Look for
emerging technology market, and build the expertise needed
tangible cost savings immediately, influence the vendors in an
both strategic and cash-conscious. Project teams can extract
Investment in short-term Immersive Internet projects in 2009 is
different ways, with hand-held devices and instant
TheImmersiveInternet: MakeTactical MovesTodayforStrategicAdvantageTomorrow,November2008, P. 2,

connectivity now the norm; however, the Federal
Government, in many respects, is still operating in
the world of the typewriter and the mimeograph.
Change is slow, but will be necessary to attract the
best and brightest minds from upcoming
generations. The broad application of immersive
technologies at NOAA will not only attract new
employees, but will enable them to become
productive much quicker as they will be intimately
familiar with the technologies being employed.
Lastly, NOAA is a pre-eminent science agency with

its foundation built upon research and development.
Demonstrating leadership in the federal workforce
by developing new applications for these tools will
keep NOAA at the forefront of U.S. federal agencies.
At the same time, working smarter, faster, and
cheaper through the application of technology will
allow NOAA to meet the high standards set by the
Obama Administration for a cost-effective and open
government.
As with any new process, there will be specific

challenges and barriers to adoption that will need to
be overcome. Despite these initial hurdles, a
strategic application of immersive tools will help
NOAA effectively accomplish its mission in a cost-
effective manner and with a high-return on
investment.
The following sections will address the specific NOAA functional areas where
immersive technology could provide the most bang for the buck, as well as the
specific challenges that will need to be overcome as the technology is brought on
line.
Applications to NOAA’s Functional Model

NOAA’s Functional Model divides the Agency into three main functions: Manage,
Create, and Serve. Within each function, there are major sub-areas and activities
23 | P a g e
where immersive technology can boost productivity and overall effectiveness at a

relatively low cost to the Agency.
Case Study: Accenture
Virtual Career Center
Here at Accenture we’re

MANAGE – Human Capital: Workforce constantly trying to improve
Management and Training how you can find out what kind
of organization we are, what
The application of Immersive Internet technology
we’re like as people and what
in this functional area has the highest potential
we’re looking for in new hires…
return on investment for NOAA given its broad [W]e constantly have to find
applicability to existing employees, new hires, new ways to reach out to the
and prospective employees. A robust initial next generation of top talent.
investment in a set of virtual workforce
management capabilities would encourage a Stop by our Careers Central
cultural shift within the agency, and would yield building, where you can
learn...about our career
tremendous benefits in the form of a cost
offerings and some of the
effective, easily extensible training platform for
interesting people who are part
years to come. The incorporation of distance of the Accenture team…
learning, distance mentoring, and serious games
makes Virtual Worlds technology a natural fit for Explore the interview building,
NOAA’s workforce needs. We therefore where we conduct in-world
recommend workforce management be a priority interviews with potential hire
candidates…
area for strategic implementation of immersive
and Virtual World technologies. Or if you’re in the mood to test
your in-world skills, try your
Benefits: hand at our Second Life
challenges that push you
• Inexpensive to implement compared to
physically and mentally and
traditional on-line training platforms test your ability to work as a
team member. The challenges
• Interactivity and immersion improve
are fun, challenging and pretty
simulation realism and trainee retention addictive…
over traditional read-then-quiz applications
• Distance learning and distance mentoring

http://careers3.accenture.com/Careers/Global/SecondLife
are core capabilities
• Improved safety and lower cost of

operations once implemented
• Good publicity and improved opportunities

to recruit next-generation of scientists and staff
Ties to strategic plans:

24 | P a g e
As stated in the NOAA Strategic Human Capital Management Plan for 2006-2011,
“NOAA must develop and maintain a culture that empowers people by encouraging
creativity, initiative, risk-taking, and open debate. As society evolves, it is
imperative that NOAA continues to have the scientific, technical, and administrative
expertise necessary to accomplish NOAA’s mission. Recruiting, training, and
retaining such a workforce requires a corporate commitment to build the necessary
culture and infrastructure along with a willingness to create a workplace that
rewards teamwork and cooperation”.
A NOAA Career and Worklife Center built in Second Life or similar application would
help NOAA accomplish its goals of creating a responsive, high-performance culture;
promoting knowledge-sharing, continuous learning and improvement; encouraging
a climate of open communications; and attracting a diverse workforce with the
competencies necessary to accomplish the Agency mission. It would also directly
meet the stated goal strategy of “ensure training and development programs build
needed competencies, including more effective incorporation of knowledge sharing,
mentoring, and distance learning of employees”.
MANAGE – Policy and Administration: Mission Support

Mission support represents the “low-hanging fruit” for early proof-of-concept
investments in immersive technology. Virtual meetings, conferences, and similar
activities are already working in the private sector and have demonstrated a proven
return on investment.
NOAA already has the basic technical infrastructure in place on the NOAA Island to
immediately enable pilot projects in mission support. Staff meetings where
participants are located in multiple time zones and where interactivity and
collaboration are important would be the most useful application of the technology.
For example, regional team meetings, program and goal team planning sessions,
and cross-line, cross-discipline science meetings would be logical starting points.
The cost savings to NOAA in terms of increased productivity through collaboration
and interaction, as well as the reduced cost of using Voice over IP instead of a
conference call bridge or VTC bridge line would be immediate.
Benefits:
• Low cost to implement
• Voice over IP is less expensive than VTC, WebEx, or conference calls to

operate
• Interactivity and face-time is more effective than conventional conference

calls
25 | P a g e
• Better user experience than both WebEx and conference call
• Allows for display of Powerpoint and other static support materials in

conjunction with interactivity
SERVE: Education and Communications

The combination of immersive technology exhibits and machinima presentations
provide a valuable and largely untapped resource for NOAA’s education and
communications communities. The popularity of YouTube, which has been well
exploited by a few offices in NOAA, has great potential if it were to be used on more
than an ad hoc basis. Strategic exploitation of this resource through traditional
video and machinima video would provide global exposure for NOAA’s products and
services while increasing environmental literacy.
Likewise, NOAA’s existing Virtual World exhibits can be enhanced to incorporate

game theory and enforce basic concepts (take-away messages) related specifically
to environmental literacy. Since students can participate in immersive education
from anywhere in the world as long as they have a current computer or mobile
device to access the Internet, it allows them to explore the course materials at a
level of detail that rivals being there in person in a classroom. Consider the benefits
of participating in a lecture on nanotechnology with a “hands-on” lab session to
examine and manipulate various molecules in great detail and as often as they
need to learn the new concepts. When considering that this is actually considered
interactive play by these learners, it can only entice them to explore, manipulate
and interact with the subject matter in ways that make the learning as much fun as
playing and yet greatly enhances the learning experience.11
Based on these conceptual uses for immersive technology, game theory, and social
networking websites, we propose two specific projects for targeted investment in
the next 5 years.
• Create interactive DVDs or online versions of the NOAA Island, complete with
games and learning assessments for distribution to schools nation-wide. The
result would be improved environmental literacy at the K-12 level, improved
learning and retention through use of interactive gaming theory, increased
awareness of NOAA and recognition of the NOAA brand.
• Develop machinima public service announcements on issues of major

environmental importance for distribution through multiple web avenues.
The result would be improved environmental awareness and general
11
Walsh, A. E., (2007). The immersive education faculty-student ecosystem. Published online through
the Immersive Education Initiative. Retrieved May 10, 2008 from
http://mediagrid.org/groups/technology/grid.ied/Immersive%20Education%20Ecosystem.pdf
26 | P a g e
scientific literacy, as well as increased awareness of NOAA products and

services, brand, and broader capabilities.
NOAA has a mandate to educate the public, as defined in the America COMPETES
Act (P.L. 110-69). NOAA’s Education Strategic Plan for 2009-2029 outlines two
overarching goals under this mandate, the first of which is improving environmental
literacy. To accomplish this goal, the NOAA Education Council has recognized the
importance of new technology on learning. The Council stressed “advances in
technology change the way we interact as a society and impact our view of the
world around us. Maintaining a presence in this new information age and keeping
educational approaches relevant to new learning modalities are important to the
continued success of NOAA’s environmental literacy goal”12. NOAA’s continued
investment in immersive and Virtual World technologies is imperative to ensure the
broad reach and continued relevancy of our educational message in the next 20
years.
CREATE/SERVE: Scientific Collaboration and Decision Support

Scientific collaboration and decision support is a natural fit with immersive
technologies; however, it is also a transformational/high-risk concept in that there
would need to be broad acceptance and use of the capabilities by scientists both
inside and outside NOAA in order to be effective. Along with high-risk, comes the
potential for very high reward. Take for example, the possibility of creating virtual
Laboratories to tackle the some key priorities from the most recent NOAA Annual
Guidance Memorandum: Climate Change and Marine Spatial Planning.
Research and development, regional, national, and global collaboration, and

stakeholder involvement could be accomplished in a transparent, persistent virtual
environment. The virtual lab would meld NOAA’s data and modeling expertise with
real-time voice over IP communications, social networking, and multi-player gaming
theory to help derive solutions to global issues of the greatest importance.
Rapid, iterative problem solving would reduce costs and result in more effective
solutions, while the broader participation of end-users and decision makers would
aid in the design of effective decision support tools and user interfaces. More
importantly, the virtual lab is always open and available, so scientists from around
the globe could go to the lab and participate in the discussions on their schedules
and without leaving behind the extensive resources of their home lab or facility.
12
NOAA Education Strategic Plan 2009-2029, p 16,
http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf
27 | P a g e
Since the system users themselves would be doing the majority of the Virtual World
development, a small initial corporate investment in the infrastructure could yield
potentially high value for NOAA and its constituents. That said, training, elimination
of barriers to entry, and acceptance of the immersive technology as a valid tool by
the science community will still constitute a large investment in time and resources.
However, as NOAA seeks to better collaborate with other agencies and our own
internal and external partners, virtual meetings, on-line discussions, and eventually
collaborative spaces are the way forward.
The NOAA Annual Guidance Memorandum stresses collaboration and transparency

as an overarching management principle for NOAA to accomplish its mission.
Opening a virtual laboratory where pre-eminent scientists from the public sector,
private sector, and academia can meet and discuss issues critical to NOAA’s mission
is an elegant and cost-effective way of ensuring we adhere to this principle.
The Mission Support Goal from NOAA 5 Year Research Plan for 2008-2012 stresses
the importance of “communication and visualization technology” using telepresence
to link scientists on NOAA ships with those on shore to conduct joint experiments.
The next step in this evolution is to link scientists on the ship, on shore, and
virtually to conduct joint experiments for the benefit of all societies.
Challenges and Barriers to Adoption

There are a number of challenges that could negatively impact NOAA’s ability to
take advantage of the full potential of the Immersive Internet. These challenges
range from cultural to technical and will need to be carefully planned for during the
implementation phase of any Immersive Internet project. Following are the primary
challenges we have identified.
Cultural Perceptions
As mentioned earlier, the concept and technology behind Virtual Worlds and
immersive environments came largely from the software gaming industry. Although
a number of organizations and government agencies, including IBM, NASA, NOAA,
and the U.S. Military, have a long history of using computer simulations to replicate
the natural environment for the purposes of training or modeling systems behavior,
there are still reservations about funding Virtual Worlds projects. These
reservations are largely tied to the perception of Virtual Worlds as games and not
serious business applications. These perceptions are enforced by a certain fantasy
component that is involved in Virtual Worlds by creating an avatar, or virtual
representation of one’s self. In some applications, Second Life included, avatars
can include anything the imagination can conjure. In a gaming construct, this is a
28 | P a g e
pretty cool feature. In a business application, it can have both positive and
negative implications.
Consider, for example, if NOAA were to feature guided tours of its virtual island
conducted by an avatar in the form of a fish or a mini-tornado – in this case, the
fantasy component would reinforce the mission and generate a marketing buzz that
would drive traffic to the site: a marketing and communications home run.
However, if NOAA were to conduct facilities tours or group meetings virtually, the
presence of wings, horns, or other less-than-conservative business accoutrements
on avatars would be a distraction, could generate negative or derisive press, and
would definitely be a barrier to adoption at the higher levels of the organization.
This double-edged fantasy sword would need to be a consideration when developing
any new immersive applications.
Additional barriers to entry include the wide acceptance and availability of WebEx
and conference calls, as well as complex user interfaces that do not cater to new
users.
Public vs Private
A related concern and similar double-edged sword is the public nature of Virtual
Worlds. While public involvement and feedback, especially from stakeholders, is a
primary benefit to using these technologies, NOAA will need to consider the
audience for different applications and determine how to best secure the
environment so children are always 100 percent protected and activities remain
appropriate for a U.S. government agency.
In the recent past, there were few immersive applications to choose from and those
that were available catered to more to fantasy and gaming than to business. Now,
however, there are multiple immersive applications, some of which are ready for
businesses to use “out of the box”, and allow a tighter degree of control over who
can access what. In addition, service providers such as Second Life realize the
importance of separating adult and juvenile audiences and have made it possible to
re-purpose content to multiple audiences through controlled access points. This
effectively shifts the burden of access control away from NOAA to the service
provider.
Through the strategic use of multiple products and services, NOAA can effectively
target its business applications, both internal and external, to its maximum
advantage.
Policy Constraints
It is important to note, at the time of this writing, a large portion of NOAA staff are
not allowed to download the Second Life application and access the NOAA Virtual
29 | P a g e
World from their work desktops due to existing “desktop core configuration”
guidelines, as well as security restrictions related specifically to the design of the
Second Life platform and its requirement to open multiple access doorways in the
corporate firewall.
Service providers are aware of these restrictions and many now offer applications
that can be accessed immediately through a standard web connection. Second Life
is also working on an upgrade that will limit the security risks for its corporate and
government clients. However, the lingering policy inconsistencies between the
Department of Commerce and NOAA, as well as between the different Line Offices
within NOAA, will continue to hamper corporate efforts to use the technology until
they are resolved.
Other Federal Agencies are experiencing the same difficulties and the Obama
Administration is actively moving in this direction stating "Your government is
delivering online content in new ways and new venues as technology impacts how
and where people consume content". 13 This is prompting Federal CIOs to establish
government-wide policies that will cover both immersive and social media sites. It
will be important for the NOAA Chief Information Officer to be engaged in helping to
find creative solutions to these potential problems as they arise.
Similarly, NOAA’s corporate planning and oversight entities have not moved at the
same speed as NOAA’s virtual presence and the organization is now faced with
some strategic questions and disconnects. For example, who should own NOAA’s
virtual presence? Who funds these activities and how are they planned? What
business cases will generate the most return on investment for NOAA? And most
importantly, is this technology even worth any investment in time or resources by
NOAA?
While this paper is attempting to justify the continued investment in the technology,
the strategic planning for these and other tools needs to be incorporated into the
broader strategic planning for the individual functional areas in order to be
effective. If the tool is not specifically helping to achieve mission goals identified in
strategic plans, and is not producing the desired outcomes, it should not be used.
As we have shown above, immersive tools can be more effective and less costly
than existing mechanisms, especially for education, communications, and workforce
management, and should be funded.
At the micro level, NOAA should seek to implement governance mechanisms to

ensure these technologies are used productively and in a cost effective manner.
The governance mechanisms will provide the intelligence needed at the functional
level to choose the right application and the right time to best accomplish the
13
Your Government and New Media, The White House:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/newmedia/.
30 | P a g e
mission goal. Corporate governance will also ensure each Line benefits equally
from their investment in the technology.
Funding Constraints
To date, NOAA’s immersive development activities have been funded primarily

through OAR with additional project funding coming from NOS, NESDIS, and NMFS.
In order to maintain ongoing activities, the ESRL development team has accepted
project proposals and funding from other Federal Agencies. While this work
provides for interesting case studies, it is also taking NOAA resources away from
NOAA projects.
To remedy the uncertainty surrounding NOAA’s Immersive Internet capabilities,

corporate support, both political and financial, are needed from the highest levels.
Established funding mechanisms will demonstrate a commitment on the part of
NOAA leadership to using new technology. They will also allow NOAA developers to
focus on development work for NOAA instead of seeking internal and external
project-by-project funding. Lastly, a corporate funding mechanism will ensure each
Line Office contributes equally for the benefits they are receiving.
Links for additional information:

• Whyville: the place girls love to go for science (WhOI Plankton Lab)
-http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0816/p25s01-lecs.html
• Teachers, college students lead a Second Life

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-08-01-second-life_N.htm
Recommendations
Virtual Worlds and Immersive Internet technologies are valuable tools NOAA can
utilize to accomplish its mission goals more effectively and at a lower cost than the
current applications. Rather than replace current practice, these tools will
complement existing applications to save money and improve effectiveness, while
keeping NOAA at the forefront of internet technology. We are proposing the
following overarching recommendations for NOAA leadership to undertake in the
next 5 years to build the foundation needed to take advantage of the internet
technology opportunities available now and in the future.
Recommendation 1: Create sustained governance and funding

mechanisms for NOAA’s corporate use of Immersive Internet technology.
We recommend the NOAA Executive Panel establish a corporate working group to

build out a framework and accept volunteers for the needed governance bodies.
We believe the ideal governance construct would consist of four groups: a
31 | P a g e
Development Team, a Content Management Team, a Virtual Worlds Advisory Board,

and a Project Management Team.
Development Team
The Development Team would be staffed and managed through OAR’s Earth
Systems Research Laboratory would be responsible for executing the technical
elements of NOAA Virtual Worlds and Immersive Internet activities. The team would
also be responsible for working closely to support the content management team
and to provide technical feasibility estimates for both the content management
team and the project management team. The development team will receive its
funding through core funds as described below.
Content Management Team

The Content Management team would be staffed by communications, education,
and outreach staff and would be responsible for the day-to-day management of the
interactions and content on the NOAA immersive sites. Members of this team
would interact directly with the public on a regular basis and will provide feedback
to the Advisory Board and Development Team on site effectiveness and other user
feedback. The Content Management team will consist of volunteers from across
NOAA lines and Goals and their salary will be paid from their individual Line Office.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board will determine the amount of annual funding needed for Virtual
Worlds and Immersive Internet projects and work with NOAA Program Managers to
integrate required funding into funding alternatives for upcoming fiscal years,
analyze new project requests and rank them based on return on investment and
relevance to NOAA mission priorities, and will sign off on any new development
projects. The Advisory Board will be staffed on a volunteer basis and the time
commitment should not be significant.
The Advisory Board would meet on a regular basis and would consist of
representatives from across NOAA including:
• NOAA’s Office of Communications

• NOAA’s Office of Education
• NOAA’s Office of Human Resources Management
• NOAA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer
• Each NOAA Line Office
• Each NOAA Goal Team
• NOAA Regional Teams
Project Management Team

32 | P a g e
The Project Management Team would provide the day-to-day management and
coordination between the other teams and within the organization. This team
would also be responsible for inter-agency activities and seeking new areas for
collaboration. The development team and content management team will report to
the project management team. The advisory board will interact directly with the
project management team and receive status updates.
The project management team will work closely with the NOAA CIO and other
interested parties to stay current on the technologies available and select the
proper technical platform for ongoing virtual the immersive content development.
As with the development team, the project management team will receive core
funding as described below.
Funding:
NOAA’s investment in Virtual Worlds and Immersive Internet has, to date, been ad
hoc and not well coordinated. Although many Line Offices have contributed
finances to the current development, the distribution has not been equitable.
Likewise, while the PPBES process is the accepted mechanism for obtaining funding,
any new alternatives will not be funded for a number of years.
Therefore, to close the funding gap and maintain the existing infrastructure, we
propose a minimum level of funding be allocated from across NOAA for 2010-2015.
After 2015, the expectation is the program will be self-funding through new
development projects and/or successful PPBES alternatives. Specifically, funding
would be generated from each Line Office, the NOAA Office of Education, NOAA
Office of Communications, and NOAA Workforce Management. These funds will be
dedicated to the Development Team and annual infrastructure costs through
Second Life.
Proposed funding for years 1-5 would be approx $96,000 annually allocated across
the following:
• NOAA Office of Education - $2000 annually ($10,000 total)
• NOAA Office of Communications - $2000 annually ($10,000 total)
• NOAA Office of Workforce Management - $2000 annually ($10,000 total)
• Line Office Contribution - $15,000 per LO annually ($450,000 total)
Recommendation 2: Remove corporate barriers to entry for staff to

use immersive technologies
A consistent IT policy across NOAA and Department of Commerce (DoC) with

respect to Virtual Worlds and Immersive Internet will be critical to the success of
33 | P a g e
these efforts. Above all, NOAA employees involved directly in a virtual project must
have the appropriate software (software is free and available via the internet) and
must be allowed to access the necessary sites. Working closely with the CIO, the
Advisory Board and Development Team should determine which technology options
allow the most useful functionality for NOAA, while still allowing NOAA to meet
federal security standards and regulations. Pilot programs as well as the possibility
of specific service agreement between the Department of Commerce and service
providers should be strongly considered. Above all, a secure environment for initial
testing these applications will need to be established quickly while policy is allowed
to catch up.
Likewise, the Agency will need to provide employees involved in immersive projects
the hardware required to best utilize the technology. Specifically, inexpensive
headsets with microphones will enable users to communicate through Voice over IP.
The cost for this equipment is nominal and it is very important for a true immersive
experience.
Recommendation 3: Integrate Immersive Technologies with corporate

strategic plans for long term development
The project management team, in close collaboration with the other three teams
and CIO, determine which programmatic areas offer the best return on investment
for NOAA. We have provided suggestions in this paper; however, there may be
other areas where the return on investment is higher or the barriers to entry are
lower. These should be evaluated and ranked.
Once key investment areas are determined, the project management team will
work closely with PPI, Strategic Councils, program mangers, Goal Team and other
NOAA staff, to integrate these tools in the into alternatives and strategic plans. In
this way, Immersive Internet technology will become yet another NOAA capability
for delivering an outcome that satisfies the NOAA mission.
Recommendation 4: Maximize current investment in communications

and educational content
The current exhibits on the NOAA island have been well-received across the
government and IT communities. In fact, the developer for NOAA’s current
capabilities was named by Federal Computer Week as one of their “Top 100”
federal employees in 2008 for the work done to date14. However, even as we
continue to expand our virtual presence, we have not put in place the needed
capabilities to track effectiveness and usability of our existing exhibits. Similarly,
these exhibits were developed without full consideration for their pedagogical
design. An evaluation of existing NOAA assets with respect to our communications
and education goals will be needed. A gap analysis will enable us to determine
14
Federal Computer Week http://www.fcw.com/pages/2009-fed-100.aspx.
34 | P a g e
what areas are in need of improvement. These upgrades can be early project
priorities while other initiatives are put in place. Specifically, NOAA should look to:
• Determine specific educational goals and performance measures for existing

virtual features and update the features to accomplish those goals
• Determine basic scientific literacy concepts to be communicated through all
NOAA immersive sites
• Determine core communications principles to deliver through these media
and update the site to reflect those principles
• Determine a basic set of corporate standards and rules of behavior for
activities on the Island
• Increase the use of machinima and social networking within the existing
NOAA web infrastructure to communicate the corporate messages
Conclusion
As we have shown, there is tremendous utility for NOAA in using Immersive Internet
Technologies, including Virtual Worlds, for accomplishing its mission goals. We have
demonstrated the value of the technology for improving NOAA’s education and
NOAA now needs to make the necessary corporate investments, in planning and
funding, to take best advantage of the benefits inherent in these new business
technologies and to maintain its leadership as a world-class science and technology
organization.
35 | P a g e
Appendix 1: Sample Projects and Timelines
Short Term (1-5 years)

• Develop new external educational programs through using Virtual Worlds and
machinima for distribution through YouTube and DVD (Education)
• Increase use of machinima for outreach and education products

(Communications/Education)
• Begin using machinima to develop a library of training tours and videos for
recruitment and retention of NOAA scientific workforce (Workforce
Management/Communications)
Medium Term (5-10 years)

• Begin development of virtual collaboration spaces within iNet, including site
visits for new employee training.
• Expand workforce management and training capabilities to include hazardous

duty training
• Pilot virtual lab reviews
• Pilot virtual conferences
• Continue strategic development of education and outreach materials
Long Term (10+ years)

• Develop an open, collaborative space for NOAA and our partners to do joint
research and testing
• Virtual research test beds and 4-D data simulations
• Cross-functional collaboration systems
• Photo-realistic communications and outreach products fully integrated with

NOAA website
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Appendix 2: NOAA’s Second Life Attractions
NOAA’s Virtual Island – a “One-NOAA” approach
a. NMFS
i. Virtual Alaska (partnership with other entities)
ii. Whale and fish simulations-underwater ecosystem
iii. Crab fishing boat simulation
iv. Recreational fishing vessel
v. Fishing port in Alaska
vi. NOAA research vessel
b. OAR
i. Climate Change
ii. Hurricane Simulation
iii. Tsunami Simulation
iv. Submarine Tour
v. Glacier Melt and Sea Level Rise Simulation
c. NESDIS
i. Satellite Locator
ii. Climate Aquarium
d. NWS
i. Real-Time Weather Map
ii. Weather Balloon Simulation
e. NOS
i. HABs Simulation
ii. Coastal Restoration

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iii. Coral Reef Simulation
iv. Habitat restoration (Pribilof)
v. Marine Debris Simulation
vi. Hydrographic Simulation
vii. Oil Spill Simulation
viii. Tide and Current Measurements
ix. Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
x. Oceans Live, Estuary Live, and Aquarius Events
xi. Oceans Today Kiosk
f. Multi-Line/Goal
i. Virtual Alaska (Regional Team)
ii. NOAA Meeting Hall
iii. Virtual Science on a Sphere
iv. Second Earth (Google Simulations)
v. Virtual Test Beds and Development Platforms
38 | P a g e
Appendix 3: A Selection of Virtual Worlds Technology

Providers
3DXplorer
3DXPlorer is an online platform for designing interactive 3D web pages and Virtual
Worlds including 3D spaces and 3D objects, in which web visitors can walk, visualize
objects and interact as easily as they navigate through HTML pages, but in a 3D
immersive mode.
Targeted to a wide range of users including creators, web designers, webmasters,

application developers and even simple users, 3DXplorer helps creating 3D content
that can be either a 3D window embedded inside a traditional website or full screen
3D immersive websites.
Designed for a wide range of applications, it can be used simply as a virtual show
room in which visitors can visualize an interior design and feel an atmosphere, or in
more sophisticated cases, used as an online interactive e-commerce tool, such as a
sales configurator or an online collaborative platform to review product
development.
http://www.3dxplorer.com/
Engineering and Computer Simulations (ECS)
ECS creates high impact solutions to improve training and education across the
spectrum of corporate, academic and military training domains. Our design
professionals and engineers work closely with clients to provide solutions that can
be tailored to people from diverse backgrounds and that are capable of providing
graphic simulated experiences that can be shared with geographically dispersed
teams of people. The lines of business within ECS are:
• Advanced Learning Technologies Products and Services
• Virtual Worlds - Commercial and Government
• Systems Integration
• LVC Interoperability
• Professional Services / IT Services
Forterra
39 | P a g e
Forterra’s On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment (OLIVE™) enterprise Virtual World

product is ideal for:
• Collaborative Meetings for remote team discussions, weekly updates, sales

presentations, executive fire-side chats, brain-storming exercises, or project
management reviews. Benefits include enhanced engagement of remote
participants and reduced costs compared to alternative communication
technologies, and faster decision-making.
• Training & Learning where remote users can learn in synchronous instructor-
led training or asynchronous, self-paced learning modes with web-based or
SCORM-compliant content. Learners then can practice their new skills in
realistic 3D work settings. Trainees can cover all the activity typical to a live,
instructor-led training environment, yet eliminate the cost and lost
productivity due to traveling. Additional benefits include increased
knowledge acquisition and retention and effective use of remote experts and
instructors.
• Events including executive presentations, sales meetings, panel discussions,

partner forums, product or service launches, or general conferences where
small groups to hundreds of simultaneous participants all need to collaborate
and communicate. Benefits include a dramatic savings in travel costs and
event production, building strong relationships more quickly between
participants, and increased access to constituencies.
• Specialized Applications — our customers use the OLIVE SDK to create new
and innovative custom applications, ranging from market research tools to
ground-breaking new behavioral therapy techniques, to operational
command centers. OLIVE’s powerful development capabilities provide
virtually unlimited possibilities for your organization and customers.
http://www.forterrainc.com/
Power U
PowerU, Inc. (PowerU) is a joint venture between Icarus Studios, a platform provider
for massively multiplayer online games, Virtual Worlds, and e-learning products,
and American Research Institute (ARI), a long-established leader in role-based,
results-oriented education and training services.
Organizations worldwide are challenged with upgrading the skills of their workforce
to adapt to changing markets, economic conditions, changing technologies, and
changing global competition. To meet this need, PowerU has taken a leading role in
revolutionizing adult learning by providing three-dimensional immersive (“3DI”)
40 | P a g e
learning environments to dramatically improve the effectiveness and efficiency of

your workforce development.
PowerU has combined world-class instructional techniques and tools with a

sophisticated state-of-the-art Virtual World engine to provide you with an easy-to-
implement and easy-to-use platform to create and deliver 3DI learning.
http://www.poweru.net/index.php
ProtonMedia/Protosphere
ProtonMedia is the leading provider of Virtual World technology for the enterprise.
Our flagship product ProtoSphere is a secure, private Virtual World environment for
collaboration and learning. As the premier Virtual World platform for the enterprise,
ProtoSphere features a suite of communications and social networking tools
designed to overcome linear communications and create a networked, learning
organization.
http://protonmedia.com/index.php?/welcome
Qwaq
Qwaq's breakthrough application collaboration platform leverages unique

vPresence™ technology - integrating VoIP, chat, webcam video, presence, and
multi-application sharing - to create an environment where employees can get real
work done together. Because meetings take place in a rich data-centric
environment, decisions come faster and smarter. Learn how Qwaq can help you
tackle some of today's toughest productivity challenges, including distributed
teams, increased operational complexity, global sourcing, reduced travel, and
constrained budgets, while increasing employee satisfaction and flexibility.
http://www.qwaq.com/solutions/index.php
Linden Labs/Second Life
Linden Lab was founded in 1999 by Philip Rosedale to create a revolutionary new
form of shared experience known as Second Life®. Second Life is a 3D Virtual World
created by its Residents (people like you) that's bursting with entertainment,
experiences, and opportunity. The Second Life Grid™ provides the platform where
the Second Life world resides and offers the tools for business, educators,
nonprofits, and entrepreneurs to develop a virtual presence. Headquartered in San
Francisco, Linden Lab has over 330 employees spread across the U.S., Europe, and
Asia. We welcome you to learn more about Linden Lab and invite you to explore our
exciting employment opportunities.
41 | P a g e
http://secondlife.com/
Vastpark
VastPark is Virtual Worlds technology done right. The framework is simple,

distributed and extensible. It's not a single Virtual World. Instead, it provides free
software tools, APIs and open source libraries so you can deploy (and even
monetize) your own Virtual Worlds and add ons for all kinds of organizations and
purposes.
The VastPark platform enables you to build multiuser Virtual Worlds online and
immersive media applications that can run online, offline and behind a firewall. The
platform includes a set of technologies and tools that create the equivalent of the
Web and enable you to create and run immersive Virtual Worlds & interactive social
media events.
http://www.vastpark.com/
Venue Network/Icarus Studios
Icarus provides next generation technology, tools and production services enabling
publishers and marketers to develop immersive environments to create new
revenue streams and branding opportunities. Our MMO game platform was
developed from the ground‐up to handle the stresses and complexities associated
with enabling thousands of simultaneous users. Our unique offering combines our
Next‐Gen 3D Engine, Real‐Time Tool Suite and an Enterprise Grade Network
Architecture that supports massive concurrency. With an average of over fifteen
years of experience building online worlds, Icarus technical and design leadership
delivers consistent quality to accelerate time to market, reduce development costs,
and enable new revenue streams. http://www.icarusstudios.com/
The Venue Network, Inc. is a new media company that provides on-demand virtual
venues where presenters can share their content and customize unique event
experiences for online attendees. TVN is the next generation of 3D technology
designed and built for the sole purpose of equipping virtual presenters with
powerful and intuitive communication capabilities and reach. TVN empowers an
online community of intellectually curious individuals to create immersive and
interactive learning, collaborative, social and entertainment experiences. For more
information go to www.thevenuenetwork.com.
Nortel/Web.alive
web.alive is a Virtual World software application that provides an enterprise ready,

network secured Virtual World platform for collaboration, assisted E-Commerce and
virtual learning & training applications. web.alive is embedded directly within a web
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page ensuring users do not have to leave the site to launch the Virtual World.
Combining stunning 3D graphics and unparalleled in-world realism, web.alive also
contains industry revolutionizing 3D spatial audio. With a feature-set designed
specifically for the enterprise, web.alive integrates with your existing network,
security and existing business software tools in order to enhance your
communication, collaboration and employee/consumer engagement.
http://www.projectchainsaw.com/
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Appendix 4: Resources and Information:

• The Immersive Internet: Make Tactical Moves Today for Strategic Advantage
Tomorrow (ThinkBalm) -
http://thinkbalm.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/thinkbalm-immersive-internet-
report-nov-20084.pdf
• Conferences Go Virtual (CNBC Video) - http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?

video=1047748741&play=1
• Immersive Internet Technology is no Video Game (The Industry Standard) -

http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/06/04/immersive-internet-
technology-no-video-game
• Real Organizations Find Success in the Virtual World (Linden Labs) -

http://www.secondlifegrid.net/casestudies
• What Can Virtual-World Economists Tell Us about Real World Economies?

(Scientific American) - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?
id=virtual-world-economists-on-real-economies
• Accenture Virtual Career Center -

http://careers3.accenture.com/Careers/Global/SecondLife
44 | P a g e

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NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE OF OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

Virtual Worlds and Immersive

Recommendations for NOAA Strategic

The Immersive Internet combines 3-D Internet technology with direct

Why Immersive Internet and Virtual Worlds?

Applications across NOAA’s Functional Model

Workforce Management and Training

Policy and Administration: Mission Support

planning sessions, and cross-line, cross-discipline science meetings would be

Communications and Education

NOAA has a mandate to educate the public, as defined in the America

Scientific Collaboration and Decision Support

The NOAA Annual Guidance Memorandum stresses collaboration and

To remedy the uncertainty surrounding NOAA’s Immersive Internet capabilities,

1. Create sustained governance and funding mechanisms for NOAA’s corporate

2. Remove corporate barriers to entry for staff to use immersive technologies

3. Integrate Immersive Technologies with corporate strategic plans for long

4. Maximize current investment in Virtual Worlds communications and

There is tremendous utility for NOAA in using Immersive Internet Technologies,

What is the Immersive Internet?...........................................................................10

What are Virtual Worlds and how are they related?..............................................12

Virtual NOAA: Welcome to Our Second Life.............................................................20

Links for Additional Information:........................................................................21

A Strategy for a Virtual NOAA...................................................................................21

Why Immersive Internet and Virtual Worlds?........................................................22

Applications to NOAA’s Functional Model..............................................................23

MANAGE – Human Capital: Workforce Management and Training........................24

MANAGE – Policy and Administration: Mission Support........................................25

SERVE: Education and Communications...............................................................26

CREATE/SERVE: Scientific Collaboration and Decision Support............................27

Challenges and Barriers to Adoption.....................................................................28

Appendix 1: Sample Projects and Timelines............................................................36

Short Term (1-5 years).......................................................................................36

Medium Term (5-10 years).................................................................................36

Long Term (10+ years)......................................................................................36

Appendix 2: NOAA’s Second Life Attractions...........................................................37

Appendix 3: A Selection of Virtual Worlds Technology Providers.............................39

What is the Immersive Internet?

The Immersive Internet combines 3D Internet technology with direct

What are Virtual Worlds and how are they related?

From Science Fiction to Reality: Immersion and the New

Beyond Rapid Access to Information

In today’s society, people are constantly bombarded by information in many

Serious Games for Education and Business

On the business side, immersive environments have a number of different

By providing an easily customizable development platform, Virtual Worlds

Global Collaboration and Interaction

Think of the potential for global scientific collaboration through a persistent

Meetings and More: Productivity at a Lower Cost

The Virtual Workplace

No need to leave the office.

“The definition of “meetings”

Mike Rhodin, General Manager

All traditional business gatherings, such as meetings, conventions, retreats, etc.,

Over 200 of IBM’s conference participants were offered pre-conference training on

Pandemic Panic: Contingency Planning for the 21st Century

Links for additional information:

• Conferences Go Virtual (CNBC Video) - http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?

Virtual NOAA: Welcome to Our Second Life

In FY08, the Alaska Regional Collaboration

Alaska is a community of educators in Alaska exploring and working in Second Life

Links for Additional Information:

A Strategy for a Virtual NOAA