AnywhereXR - Laying the Foundation for Open Source Embodied Digital Twin Applications

Abstract

Despite recent developments in immersive technologies and data processing through AI, there are still substantial limitations in creating widespread opportunities for embodied digital twins for communication and visualization of physical environments. Open spatial data and particularly 3D spatial data do exist but this does not mean that we can now automatically or semiautomatically create immersive experiences from the existing data, at least not with high fidelity. The goal should be that anyone, not just high-end tech companies, is in the position to create experiential 3D environments for any place on earth. To move a small step closer to this goal, we are discussing the development of a framework that will allow for the creation of embodied digital twins for any place in the Netherlands by only requiring the location's GPS coordinates as input. While the results are not perfect yet, we consider these efforts essential in advancing the democratic use of embodied digital twins and aim to create a widely accessible infrastructure.