Virtual Library in the concept of digital twins


Virtual Library in the concept of digital twins

Nikolas Iakovides, Andreas Lazarou, Panayiotis Kyruiakou, Andreas Aristidou

International Conference on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies, IMET 2022.

In this work, we reconstruct the Limassol Municipal University Library in the concept of a digital twin. To do so, we conducted a perceptual survey to understand the current use of physical libraries, examine the user’s experience with VR, and identify potential use cases of VR libraries. Based on the outcome, we design five use case scenarios where we demonstrate the potential use of virtual libraries.

[DOI] [paper] [bibtex]


Abstract


With the technological advancements and the widespread adoption of the internet, the physical library has lost its role as the main resource of information. As the Metaverse is becoming more and more apparent, a revolutionary change is expected in how we understand social relationships and consequently, education. It is therefore necessary for libraries to upgrade the services they provide to keep in line with the technological trends and be a part of this virtual revolution. We believe that the design and development of a Virtual Reality (VR) library can be the community and knowledge hub the society needs. In this paper we go through the process of creating a digital twin of the Limassol Municipal University Library, a landmark for the city of Limassol, by using photogrammetry and 3D modelling. By integrating the concept of digital twin, we developed a 3D platform where users have the perception that they are exhibiting the actual library. To do so, we conducted a perceptual study to understand the current usage of physical libraries, examine the users’ experience in VR, and identify the requirements and expectations in the development of a virtual library counterpart. Following the suggestions and observations of our user study, we implemented five common case scenarios that demonstrate a potential use of a virtual library.


The main contributions of this work include:

  • We have designed and developed a 3D virtual library, setting the foundation for the technological advances needed to be integrated in libraries in the general concept of a virtual environment/Metaverse.
  • We reconstructed the Limassol Municipal University Library, in the aspect of a digital twin, using photogrammetry and 3D modelling.
  • We conducted a perceptual study to understand the current use of the library, and the limitations physical libraries present.
  • We sketched the profile of potential users of a virtual library, and understand their needs and expectations.
  • We implemented five basic scenarios that users can meet in real world cases; take a virtual tour, borrow a book/proceedings via an online platform, attend or organize a seminar/conference, book a meeting room to participate in a group meeting (upon invitation), or meet with a specialized mentor.

Acknowlegments


This research was supported by internal funds from the University of Cyprus. The authors would like to express their acknowledgements to the staff of the University of Cyprus Library (Elena Diomidi-Parpouna, Stavroula Pitta); the Limassol Municipal University Library for their permission to scan the building (Georgia Kontolemi); Melios Agathangelou for his help with the scanning of the building using a drone; and Andreas Andreou for his fruitful discussions about the Unity implementations. Finally, we would like to thank all the participants of the perceptual study.




© 2017 Andreas Aristidou