Group A, Poster #195, Community Capability Building (CCB)
An Immersive Experience of the Brawley Seismic Zone Using Virtual Reality
Poster Image:
Poster Presentation
2024 SCEC Annual Meeting, Poster #195, SCEC Contribution #13934 VIEW PDF
rooms (K-8th) in the Brawley Elementary School District (BESD). The findings will help us understand BESD students' knowledge of earthquake concepts. Our VR activity stems from a VR environment previously implemented in ParaView and is based on UCERF3 (Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast 3) and other information layers. Here, we sought to create an updated experience with additional features that will highlight the complexity of the BSZ. The new experience includes the updated SCEC Community Fault Model (CFM 6.1), an urban environment layout (e.g., cities with buildings extracted from OpenStreetMap) retrieved using blender (.org), and 3D spheres representing clouds of seismicity and recent and past swarms. The Google Forms survey conducted during the BESD summer session involved answering questions via raise-of-hand in a group classroom setting. The questions assessed students' understanding of earthquake science and their perception of seismic events. We utilized MATLAB, Blender, and Rstudio to enrich and update the VR environment. Although VR tools are not yet implemented in schools, they represent a significant advancement in helping students intuitively grasp seismic phenomena. This project highlights the potential of immersive technologies to enhance education and preparedness in seismically active regions. Future enhancements will focus on adding interactive elements that allow users to manipulate earthquake variables and integrate more in-depth explanatory content, furthering their understanding and potentially transforming earthquake education.
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