Abstract: Meta-universe is a concept describing the iterative development of the Internet in the future. It is a perceptive, persistent and shared 3D virtual space composed of the real world and virtual world.
This article is shared from Huawei Cloud community “[Cloud Resident Co-creation] Roaming Guide to the Meta-Universe – Building the Meta-Universe with a New generation of GIS Technology”, author: Liuzhen007.
What is the meta-universe?
To quote from Wikipedia, the meta-universe is a concept that describes future iterations of the Internet, consisting of persistent, shared 3D virtual Spaces connected to a perceivable virtual universe. The meta-universe in a broad sense refers not just to the virtual world, but to the entire Internet, including the entire spectrum of augmented reality.
The novel “Need to Collapse” depicts a virtual digital world parallel to the real world, in which people use digital avatars to control and compete with each other to improve their status. As long as you put on headphones and eyepieces and find a terminal, you can enter another THREE-DIMENSIONAL reality world virtual by computer through connection. Everyone can have their own dopant in this virtual space parallel to the real world. This virtual space is what we call the “meta-universe”. So far, the novel is still a futuristic world.
1. Understanding the “Metasverse” from a cinematic perspective
The concept of a meta-universe varies from person to person. For a thousand people, there are a thousand kinds of meta-universes. Avatar and Ready Player One both depict scenarios in the future metaverse. For example, in Ready Player One, Wade Woz in the real world can enter the oasis world from the real world through VR equipment, and change into the character of Parsifal. Then, he and some other friends who enter the game compete for three keys and the right to rule the oasis. In Avatar, the hero enters into the world of avatar from the real world through the link module to carry out mining operations and combat. In the same way, the symbiosis between the human group and the avatar group is realized to a certain extent.
2. Understand metaverse games from a gaming perspective (Reblox)
Reblox games make it possible to make the virtual world drop by issuing the game currency Rebux. If you are playing online, you can make the virtual world drop by issuing the virtual world Rebux. If you are playing online, you can make the virtual world drop by issuing the virtual world Rebux. Reblox CEO: Metaverse identifies eight characteristics of the metasverse: identity, friends, immersion, low latency, diversity, place, economy, and civilization.
2. Meta-cosmic ecosystem
The meta-universe ecosystem consists of various investors, software developers, hardware developers, service operators, system integrators, and product manufacturers. There are many basic concepts in ecosystem, and the following details the basic situation of these concepts.
The cascade of industrial changes involves a wide range of industries, including games, exhibitions, education, tourism, design, medical care, industrial manufacturing, and government public services. Cognition, my mind is the universe, and the universe is my mind. Basic values: co-creation, sharing and public governance. Economic factors, digital identity, digital assets, digital markets, digital money, digital consumption. Basic features: immersive experience, free creation, social networks, economic systems, civilization forms. Technical foundation, blockchain, interactive technology, games, artificial intelligence, network, Internet of Things.
1. The leader of the metasverse
Nvidia was the originator of the metasverse concept, underpinning the technology with its powerful GPU family of products, basic 3D graphics software, and Omniverse platform.
Huawei also uses hongmeng system to create a lot of meta-cosmic application equipment and software, such as AR glasses, XRKit, etc.
2. The seven layers of the meta-universe
There are seven layers to make up the metasomes, which are introduced from the bottom to the top. At the bottom is the infrastructure, such as 5G network, wifi 6, 6G, Cloud, 7nm to 1.4nm process, MEMS, GPUs, chip materials, etc. The second layer is human-computer interaction, where human beings can connect to the meta-universe through mobile devices, smart glasses, wearable devices, touch, gestures, voice recognition systems, neural interfaces, etc. The third layer is decentralization, relying on edge computing, AI agents, microservices, blockchain and other technologies as the support. The fourth layer is spatial computing, based on 3D engine, VR, AR, XR, multi-task UI, geographic information mapping and other modules. The fifth layer is the creator economy, which relies on design tools, asset markets, workflows, commerce, and so on. The sixth layer is channels, such as AD networks, social networks, content distribution, rating systems, app stores, intermediary systems, etc. The seventh layer is experience, where users can have a real experience of the metasomes in games, social interaction, esports, theater, shopping.
What is GIS?
GIS is mainly a space-related technology. It shows spatial location and spatial data in the form of maps, such as ordering takeout, checking logistics and taking a taxi.
Not only for ordinary users, GIS is more industrial application, in the whole industry chain, has its own role and use. For example, in the upstream industry chain, GIS can be applied to GNSS (Global navigation satellite System), RS (remote sensing), engineering surveying and mapping (new basic surveying and mapping), IoT, mobile Internet and many other scenarios. Again in downstream of the industrial chain, for example, GIS can be applied to the military (military commission, theater, services), enterprise (oil, banking, insurance, logistics, tobacco, water, gas, airport, factory, mining, telecommunications, electricity, etc.), e-government, public security, fire control, emergency, safety, earthquake, traffic, agriculture, postal service, health, education, culture, tourism, archaeology, etc.).
1. New generation GIS technology
The early GIS technology includes data access, processing, storage, editing, drawing, analysis, drawing and other processes. However, with the development of The Times and the iteration of technology, GIS integrates many advanced technologies on the basis of the original technology. For example, cloud computing GIS, big data GIS, AI GIS, 3D GIS, AR GIS, blockchain GIS and 5G GIS.
A panoramic view of six major technologies in the meta-universe (BIGANT), including BlockChain (BlockChain), Interactivity (interactive technology), GIS and Game (geographic information and gaming technology), AI (artificial intelligence), Network (Network technology), and IoT (Internet of Things technology). Today’s main content is how GIS provides technical support for the future development of the metasverse.
2. Number twinning
Digital twinnings allow people to move between the real world and the digital world through geographic data, spatial references. At present, most cities already have the three-dimensional model basis of full-space and full-factor virtual city.
How to realize the evolution from the real world to the virtual world? First, three-dimensional model data are constructed in the real world through aerospace photogrammetry, aerial photography and measurement, lidar measurement, modeling software, design software and other technologies, thus forming the basic data of the virtual world. From a macro perspective, the construction of natural resource system, such as arable land data, environmental protection index, etc. From a medium perspective, oblique photography expresses twin cities through digital modeling, aerial photography by drones and other technologies, and basically most cities already have this capability. From a micro perspective, BIM based expression of the interior of the building allows us to display the interior layout of the building in a more refined way, such as handles, textures and other very fine details.
3. Spatial computation
The concept of spatial computing is to improve the accessibility of the twin worlds by driving the upgrade of rendering modes through algorithms and computational power enhancement. However, the core content of GIS is spatial computing.
Space calculation process, the development of the first stage is the conventional calculation, and then develop into computing, distributed computing, parallel computing, memory and CPU, can also be divided from the dimension, from the two dimensional analysis, use of space vector analysis and the grid space analysis to the three dimensional analysis, and then to multi-dimensional analysis, using big data of time and space and AI are analyzed.
How do you use vector data? Buffer analysis, compliance analysis, difference analysis, thematic map making, overlay analysis and OD analysis can be carried out. For example, we can determine whether there is a cafe for us to chat and business negotiation within five kilometers according to vector data information.
The specific uses of raster image analysis include neighborhood statistics, isosurface analysis, slope aspect analysis, visibility analysis, slope analysis, NDVI, etc. For example, we can judge the prevention strategy of geological disasters based on slope analysis. Spatio-temporal big data analysis has also been widely applied in real life. For example, when an epidemic occurs, spatio-temporal companions of cases will always be found for tracking and protection, and even isolation.
Not only are there applications in 2d data, but there are a lot of applications in 3D data, For example, visual analysis, THREE-DIMENSIONAL volume space analysis (shadow volume), slope aspect analysis, dynamic calculation of corridor ratio, red line detection, height control analysis, underground building range analysis, skyline analysis, openness analysis, discount rate of street building, sunshine market analysis of household, dynamic calculation of floor area ratio.
4. Human-computer interaction
Human-computer interaction, through XR and other interactive technologies to enhance the sense of immersion in the digital world, which will involve the application of THREE-DIMENSIONAL visualization technology. Next, I will introduce the development of 3D visualization technology. From the initial mapping, texture, baking, texture animation, high dynamic lighting, OIT, flooding, PBR, particle effects, all of which fall under the category of GIS engine. Later, the GIS engine combined with the game engine evolved to incorporate more content, such as shader quality, weather effects, virtual light effects, shadow effects, ambient shading, scene edges, real-time ray tracing, lens glare, and ambient light cube mapping.
In 2019, GIS engine and game engine will be officially integrated. In games, GIS engine can display geographic and location information, but weather and lighting information cannot be satisfied. At this time, game engine needs to supplement the integration, and play the icing on the cake effect.
5. Decentralization
In the concept of the meta-universe, there is also the concept of “decentralization”. It is generally believed that 5G/6G and cloud computing technology can support large-scale users to be online at the same time to improve the accessibility of the digital world. The de-centralization here is more about using blockchain technology, for example in the game, which involves buying and selling land. In real life real estate registration, using blockchain technology can also be very convenient to complete online registration and acceptance.
In addition, high concurrency and low latency are also involved. Whether to B or TO C, service cloud protogenics are also contributing to the development of blockchain technology and cloud protogenics.
Iv. GIS enables Metaverse
Some of the latest technologies in GIS, metasomes stand for SandBox games, and GIS provides metasomes with technology, data, and models, as well as virtual address Spaces and geographic resource information.
How to transform the real world into the metacosmic world can be generally divided into three modes. The first mode is the twin real world, that is, to copy the real world completely and build an identical virtual world with the real physical world as the digital framework. The second mode is the virtual mixed realization world, which is a parallel connected world. The real world and virtual world are combined and superimposed on each other to derive a virtual and real mixed meta-universe world. The third mode is a completely virtual dimensional space, constructing a brand new digital world with almost no relation to the real world, and creating a brand new metacosmic world.
Based on Web address space map of 3 d visualization, high precision, laser point cloud, BIM, basic surveying and mapping, geographic information of remote sensing image data fusion of things, such as, the positioning trajectory, business, social media, text documents such as dynamic data of time and space, and other information to build a high fidelity, high aggregation “digital twin” time and space environment, at the same time, through the real-time process of mapping the real world, Simulating and coupling events and scenarios to enable a fully digital world to manage cities and businesses will catalyze a whole new digital transformation.
Not only for games and entertainment, the metasurverse can also be applied to other scenarios. For example, during the epidemic, people can enter the scenic spots of other cities in virtual reality for sightseeing without having to physically arrive at their destinations. However, there are some practical problems with the metasomes, including the following.
1. Security and confidentiality of geographic information data;
2. Cost of geographic information data acquisition;
3. A series of process operations are needed from acquisition to application of geographic information data;
4. How to efficiently manage geographic information data with 5V characteristics?
In addition, the metaverse also involves algorithmic problems, and its algorithms also have some practical problems.
1. Current algorithms are mostly designed for traditional requirements;
2. The threshold of spatial computing algorithm is relatively high;
3. Spatial computing algorithms depend on data;
4. Simulation requires more professional knowledge.
Then there’s the XR device issue.
1. Wearable devices are relatively expensive, which may cause vertigo problems when experiencing them. At present, there are more mobile devices than glasses;
2. User habits and application scenarios, XR devices are more optional for users, only icing on the cake, and from data to application to access.
5. Metaverse enabling GIS
The meta-universe can also contribute to the development of GIS. The innovation of meta-universe interactive devices, such as integrated VR head display, wristband AR sensor, tactile gloves, electronic skin, etc. The metaverse can also promote geographic design, allowing practitioners to create geographic renderings as designers do; The metasurverse promotes the rapid development of VR/MR/AR and other devices and 3D technologies, which are conducive to the construction of GIS applications, such as Microsoft’s wind field experiment, which simulates changes in ocean currents. The metaverse can also be used in many other scenarios, such as disaster response, simulation training, virtual field.
Six, summarized
Innovative application, from map of heaven and Earth to meta-universe, based on map of Heaven and Earth China, Map of Heaven and Earth Henan, map of Heaven and Earth Hunan, meta-universe China, Meta-universe Henan, meta-universe Hunan, under the birth of meta-universe technology, GIS ushered in more development opportunities and innovations, and produced more new formats.
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