This project aims to quantify the impact of using immersive Virtual Reality simulation in public engagement for the Virginia Department of Transportation. We are designing a virtual reality simulation of a proposed double roundabout in downtown Bristol, Virginia. We will demonstrate this virtual reality simulation at a public engagement meeting in December 2025, and the quantify the impact of the immersive virtual visualization on engagement compared to traditional 2D visualization methods (e.g., engineering plans, maps).
Public involvement is a critical step in the transportation planning process, as the local community is engaged in shaping the vision for the project. Traditional public involvement methods using 2-dimensional drawings, renderings, and 360-degree images to convey design alternatives have limitations as the public is not well versed in engineering design concepts. Virtual reality (VR) simulation offers the opportunity for the public to experience and explore a design, allowing transportation designers and agencies to fully communicate their ideas and members of the public to provide more in-depth feedback. A double roundabout has been designed for Bristol, Virginia, and will be the first roundabout in that region. In December 2025, the public engagement meeting will be held. We are designing a Virtual Reality environment to help the public visualize and experience the proposed design. We will then evaluate how the public interacts and receives the proposed design in virtual reality compared to traditional visualization methods. We will then summarize our findings for the Virginia Department of Transportation, who is considering expanding this process to more transportation projects.
*Familiarity with Unity is preferred, but not required. Student should at a minimum have an active interest in virtual reality and its research applications.
*Basic familiarity with statistical analysis and data visualization.
*Virtual reality environment development (in Unity)
*Written and oral technical communication skills. We will be communicating about the VR environment and the engineering design to both VDOT engineers and the general public.
*Survey design best practices
*Data collection and analysis. You will help us collect physiological (e.g. gaze and heart rate) and stated response (via participant surveys) data at the public involvement meeting, and work with graduate student researchers to analyze this data.