GIS and Virtual Reality

The geographic information system (GIS) dates back to the mid-1960s. It is a computer-based hardware and software system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced data. GIS manages geographic, spatial, or geospatial data for spatiotemporal applications and geographic research, and employs cognition to comprehend geographical configurations and perceptions through computer mapping, spatial analysis, and geographic problem solving. Over the past decade, GIS technology has made significant contributions to mainstream geographic research and applications and demonstrated its potential benefits in various related disciplines (e.g., earth system science). In addition to its traditional role in geographic studies, the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web in 1995 resulted in a dramatic shift in how GIS was viewed as a means of information sharing between individuals. Several websites provided visitors with geographic datasets, enabling them to create maps on demand and perform simple GIS services based on user specifications using data supplied by the user or the website. In another field, virtual reality (VR)—characterized by immersion, interaction, and the use of one’s imagination—is the application of computer modeling and simulation that enables a person to interact with artificial three-dimensional (3D) visual or other sensory environments. ‘Extended reality’ (XR) has recently been adopted as an umbrella term for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR, AR, MR), referring to technologies and conceptual propositions of spatial interfaces studied by engineers, computer scientists, and scholars who study human-computer interaction (HCI). With the advancements in computer graphics hardware and algorithms, visualization, and interactive techniques for analysis, it is possible to establish the systems coupling of a truly interactive, multidimensional GIS and VR. Such systems, including Virtual Geographic Environments (VGEs), Digital Earth (DE), Cyberinfrastructure-Based Geographic Information Systems (CyberGIS), and Digital Twin (DT) have been developed and applied in numerous fields and applications, such as urban planning; evaluation of vegetation, soil, and waterways; human behavior and management of recreational areas; and geological fields. With the evolution of GIS from 2D static to 3D (or 4D) dynamic and the simultaneous evolution of VR technology to XR, the integrations of GIS and VR have undergone significant changes. Consequently, many publications on the theory and practice of integrating GIS and VR have been written and published worldwide.