![\"Austin](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Austin-Peay-State-University-APSU.jpg\" "\\"Austin")
Clarksville, TN<\/strong> – Kevin Lyons and Connar Bielinski are learning as they go. The Austin Peay State University (APSU) computer science students are helping establish a virtual reality drone laboratory at the APSU GIS Center on campus, and they\u2019re having to learn new coding and technology along the way.<\/p>\n![\"Austin](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-GIS-Center\u2019s-virtual-reality-drone-lab-immerses-students-in-real-world-experience_2.jpg\" "\\"Austin")
<\/a>Austin Peay State University Computer science students Connar Bielinski and Kevin Lyons work on their simulations.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of buying off-the-shelf software, I wanted to take computer science students and have them program in Unity a virtual reality scene with the end state being it becomes a virtual reality simulator for teaching people how to fly drones,\u201d Doug Catellier, GIS Center project manager, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, it\u2019s not a class that\u2019s being taught, so they\u2019re teaching themselves as they go,\u201d he added. \u201cThey\u2019ve surpassed any expectations I had for them just because they have something on the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students have immersed themselves in the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great learning opportunity,\u201d Bielinski said. \u201cI think it\u2019s good for scripting and coding. It\u2019s a challenge \u2013 coding is not my favorite thing to do. Maybe I can get more familiar with it, get some real-world experience, giving myself a problem and then trying to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
TBR Grant Funds New Lab<\/h3>\n![\"One](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-GIS-Center\u2019s-virtual-reality-drone-lab-immerses-students-in-real-world-experience_1-480x298.jpg\" "\\"One")
<\/a>One of the stations at the virtual reality drone lab at Austin Peay State University\u2019s GIS Center.<\/p><\/div>\n
GIS Center officials secured a one-year $25,000 Tennessee Board of Regents grant to build and equip the lab. The grant started last July.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe bought two VR machines,\u201d Catellier said. \u201cWe have an Oculus Rift VR system. We found these Oculus Gos. We\u2019ve installed some simulators to fly the drones.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students are \u201cprogramming and learning how to use Unity (a cross-platform game engine used to create three- and two-dimensional games and simulations) and program in virtual reality,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have found all sorts of uses for the virtual reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320left]Catellier also is working on a virtual tour, for example, of the APSU Farm and Environmental Education Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking at creating realistic buildings, which we can do, we\u2019ll just have to go into the GIS side a little bit and build a three-dimensional model and embed that into the virtual reality and go from there,\u201d Catellier said. \u201cIt can be done, there\u2019s just that learning curve of getting it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018We Just Jumped Right In\u2019<\/h3>\n![\"Doug](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-GIS-Center\u2019s-virtual-reality-drone-lab-immerses-students-in-real-world-experience_3-480x320.jpg\" "\\"Doug")
<\/a>Doug Catellier, Austin Peay State University GIS Center project manager, maneuvers a drone on one of the simulators.<\/p><\/div>\n
Lyons has big goals this semester.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I want it to look like is I want to be able to import a Google map and be able to fly and see maybe the Austin Peay campus,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could fly through Clarksville or the Austin Peay campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bielinski\u2019s goals are smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to get to one point where we can fly a track and then, hopefully, be able to take what we know and implement in different maps easier,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my initial goal is to just get one working in the Oculus or VR setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320right]Lyons and Bielinski spend a few hours three days a week working on their simulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Connar and I are pretty eager to learn something new,\u201d Lyons said. \u201cI\u2019m surprised we\u2019ve come this far, honestly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first day, Doug broke it down for us, showed us the machines, got us started in the program, and we just jumped right in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get Involved<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re interested in helping with this project, especially in programming and working with Unity or with virtual reality animation, contact Doug Catellier at catellierd@apsu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\nLearn More<\/h3>\n
For more about the GIS Center, visit www.apsugis.org<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/a>One of the stations at the virtual reality drone lab at Austin Peay State University\u2019s GIS Center.<\/p><\/div>\n
GIS Center officials secured a one-year $25,000 Tennessee Board of Regents grant to build and equip the lab. The grant started last July.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe bought two VR machines,\u201d Catellier said. \u201cWe have an Oculus Rift VR system. We found these Oculus Gos. We\u2019ve installed some simulators to fly the drones.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students are \u201cprogramming and learning how to use Unity (a cross-platform game engine used to create three- and two-dimensional games and simulations) and program in virtual reality,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have found all sorts of uses for the virtual reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320left]Catellier also is working on a virtual tour, for example, of the APSU Farm and Environmental Education Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking at creating realistic buildings, which we can do, we\u2019ll just have to go into the GIS side a little bit and build a three-dimensional model and embed that into the virtual reality and go from there,\u201d Catellier said. \u201cIt can be done, there\u2019s just that learning curve of getting it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018We Just Jumped Right In\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/a>Doug Catellier, Austin Peay State University GIS Center project manager, maneuvers a drone on one of the simulators.<\/p><\/div>\n
Lyons has big goals this semester.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I want it to look like is I want to be able to import a Google map and be able to fly and see maybe the Austin Peay campus,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could fly through Clarksville or the Austin Peay campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bielinski\u2019s goals are smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to get to one point where we can fly a track and then, hopefully, be able to take what we know and implement in different maps easier,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my initial goal is to just get one working in the Oculus or VR setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320right]Lyons and Bielinski spend a few hours three days a week working on their simulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Connar and I are pretty eager to learn something new,\u201d Lyons said. \u201cI\u2019m surprised we\u2019ve come this far, honestly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first day, Doug broke it down for us, showed us the machines, got us started in the program, and we just jumped right in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get Involved<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re interested in helping with this project, especially in programming and working with Unity or with virtual reality animation, contact Doug Catellier at catellierd@apsu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\nLearn More<\/h3>\n
For more about the GIS Center, visit www.apsugis.org<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/a>Doug Catellier, Austin Peay State University GIS Center project manager, maneuvers a drone on one of the simulators.<\/p><\/div>\n
Lyons has big goals this semester.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I want it to look like is I want to be able to import a Google map and be able to fly and see maybe the Austin Peay campus,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could fly through Clarksville or the Austin Peay campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bielinski\u2019s goals are smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to get to one point where we can fly a track and then, hopefully, be able to take what we know and implement in different maps easier,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my initial goal is to just get one working in the Oculus or VR setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320right]Lyons and Bielinski spend a few hours three days a week working on their simulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Connar and I are pretty eager to learn something new,\u201d Lyons said. \u201cI\u2019m surprised we\u2019ve come this far, honestly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first day, Doug broke it down for us, showed us the machines, got us started in the program, and we just jumped right in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get Involved<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re interested in helping with this project, especially in programming and working with Unity or with virtual reality animation, contact Doug Catellier at catellierd@apsu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more about the GIS Center, visit www.apsugis.org<\/a><\/p>\nLearn More<\/h3>\n