The Virtual Worlds Project: geological mapping and field skills

Abstract

The Virtual Worlds Project is a UK collaboration between the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, and the Leeds College of Art, to build a virtual environment in which to learn and practice basic geological mapping skills. Using the Unity game engine, a virtual landscape populated by rock outcrops with associated notebook entries has been created. This approach is not a replacement for field map work. Rather, it represents an in‐class tool with the appearance of a computer game with which to enhance basic mapping skills taught in the field in a virtual environment.