Welcome to XR @ CISESS
We firmly believe that immersive technologies like virtual and augmented reality will change the way we interact with the digital world. At the Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies (CISESS) at the University of Maryland: College Park, we blend this innovative technology with the fields of geoscience and meteorology to demonstrate the technology's potential for scientific innovation and education. Below, you can learn more about our projects and the field of XR technology!
What is XR?
XR, which is short for extended reality, is an umbrella term used to describe immersive technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality.
Virtual Reality
In virtual reality, you leave behind your physical environment to be completely immersed in a simulated 3D environment. We use virtual reality in the Virtual Proving Ground and Training Center to immerse our users in a virtual recreation of our lab space!
Mixed Reality
With mixed reality, you are immersed in a simulated 3D environment (like virtual reality) that is mixed with elements of your real environment. For example, a mixed-reality application could replace your floors with lava!
Augmented Reality
In augmented reality, devices like smart glasses or your smartphones utilize cameras and other sensors to add objects and other information to your real world environment.How do we build in XR?
Meta Quest
The Meta Quest headsets--such as the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and the Meta Quest 3--are arguably the most affordable, popular, and advanced XR headsets on the market. We use these headsets to develop and run our apps!