Linking the Present and Past in Virtual Worlds: A Case Study of Development and Navigation

Virtual worlds are unique 3D spaces, which are interactive, collaborative, coherent, persistent and social in nature. Users, an integral part of these environments are represented using digital characters, called avatars, and they are allowed to design and develop the content according to their own desires. This paper presents the virtual world presences, developed using OpenSimulator framework and blender, for the present and past of the University of Science and Technology Bannu - Pakistan. The developed spaces are explored through different navigation techniques and they are equipped with interactive maps and signboards for guidance and supporting advanced navigation technique called the teleporting. The developed environment not only imparts online education and helps youngsters to get acquainted with glorious past but also offers virtual tour of the campus to the prospective students of the University. The users were found more motivated when they explored the spaces using flying and teleporting - the navigation means not practical in the physical world. The virtual world presence, developed in this work, is compared with traditional techniques, currently in practice, for imparting education and preserving culture heritage, using a number of parameters.