The Ontario Subsurface Exploration Lab provides a glimpse into the possibilities of Virtual Reality and its applications to the field of geology. This overall goal of this application is to allow the user to visualize and interact with a 3D model of Ontario's Paleozoic geology in a data driven stereoscopic VR experience to better understand the geometry of the geological layer.
The application was built using the Unity game engine and was designed to work with the Oculus Quest VR headset and Oculus Touch controllers. The app is based on an open world exploration concept, taking place in a laboratory with various interactive lab stations for the user to explore. These lab stations describe the basics of oil, gas, water and salt resources in Ontario and the Paleozoic geology in the province.
Oil, Gas, Salt and Water Resource Stations
The lab contains one station for each of Ontario’s resources. Each resource station contains a 3D model representative of that resource and a clipboard with information describing how that resource relates to the geology of Ontario. Each resource can be selected individually by the user, and the resource which is currently being queried will control some of the information that appears in the lab: the map displayed on the wall will illustrate where the resource can be found in Ontario; the television screen (when interacted with) will play a narrated 360 video about that resource; and the stack of geological layers will change colours to display which layers contain the selected resource (layers will stay coloured if they contain the resource, and will turn grey otherwise).
Geological Layer Models
The lab contains 3D models of 28 of Ontario’s geological layers. Layers are generated from real geological data in Leapfrog geological modelling software. The geological representation of each layer has been reviewed and published by the Geological Survey of Canada and can be considered reasonably accurate. Although, the detail of these representations has been somewhat reduced to accommodate limitations in the VR hardware.
The layer model in the lab can be navigated through by the user, and the layer that is currently selected will also control some of the information being displayed in the lab in the following ways: the pedestal next to the stack of layers will display the name, geological time period, and age of the layer, and signify which resources are contained in that layer; the microscope station will display chip photos of rocks from that layer; and the clipboard next to the microscope will display a short paragraph with information about the layer.
Geological Layer Surface Exploration
The bulk of the data in the app is contained in the surface exploration section, including all the geojson and xyz files described above. The user can interact with each layer in the lab to enter the surface exploration scene, allowing them to walk across the layer and inspect the geometry in greater detail. Depending on which resource the user previously selected in the lab, they will also be able to query the surface of the layer for the different datasets listed above, where elevation data is the default when no resource has been selected. When the user interacts with a specific point on a layer, the corresponding resource or elevation dataset will be queried to return the closest data point found to where the user is looking. This will provide the user with valuable information about how resources are distributed on each layer, and how the elevation changes by location.
Summary
This application provides a glimpse into how geological data can be displayed and enhanced in a virtual reality setting. Providing the user with 3D models of Ontario’s geological layers will allow them to visualize the geometry more clearly, and the interactive nature of VR will give the user a more exciting and hands-on experience with Ontario’s geology that is not possible in other formats of media. Users will walk across layers of geological data that represent rock formations buried deep underground.