Mixed Reality 3D Tabletop Tool with Radioactive Source Model Visualization

Securing radioactive materials from across their life-cycle is a large collaborative effort that involves all levels of officials, policymakers, operational stakeholders, and local law enforcement. Both domestic and international cooperation is crucial to the prevention and detection of criminal/ unauthorized acts involving nuclear and other radioactive materials. Gathering all parties involved in the same room to evoke communication and collaborate presents both a logistical challenge and requires a great deal of time and resources. With new and emerging technologies in mixed reality, this communication, collaboration and visualization can be done remotely and can include tools to help enhance these types of collaborative tabletop exercises. Our Scribe 3D Tabletop Tool is a visually rich software package that enhances tabletop exercises by providing a set of tools to visualize and record all events, actions, and discussions during a tabletop exercise. It provides an environment which organizes and evokes discussion allowing for a more comprehensive tabletop experience. As a tabletop exercise is conducted, a scenario is developed and recorded allowing users to visually play back the scenario and information all within a 3D environment. Because the scenario playback is within a 3D environment and not just a video, it allows users to take various view points and perspectives. All decision-making points are recorded for every event and engagement as well as the outcomes of those engagements. This enables the organization and review of decision making points to improve results and outcomes. Currently, Scribe 3D is being used by ORS to enhance tabletop exercises but does not include a radioactive source model visualization or a mixed reality experience for collaboration. This mixed reality experience includes: • the ability for users to be immerse in the execution of a 3D table top scenario • interact with the terrain and entities • place themselves on the ground to watch a scenario unfold in first person Enhancing the current Scribe 3D Tabletop tool with these features presents a significant improvement for use in the nuclear and other radioactive material security communities that conduct these exercises. At the 2018 IAEA International Conference, a talk on this concept will be presented, as well as an interactive demonstration of the mixed reality experience as explained above. (author)