Construction of virtual reality space of the Tottori Sand Dunes using UAV

Abstract

The Tottori Sand Dunes in Japan are a popular tourist attraction due to the beautiful scenery and leisure activities with millions of visitors every year. In addition, the Tottori Sand Dunes have been designated as a special protection zone of Sanin Kaigan National Park and a UNESCO Global Geopark because the characteristic landscapes and unique ecosystems have high academic value from the aspects of geology and ecology. However, the tourism in the dunes is sometimes very hard due to the vast and undulating landscape and inclement weather conditions (windy, hot summer and cold winter). Additionally, there are no guide boards, information boards and no constructions in the dunes to keep the beautiful scenery. It seems that construction of virtual reality (VR) space of the dunes can contribute to solve these problems in the tourism. In the VR space, everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery without influence of the weather conditions and landscapes. Virtual information boards will help to understand the characteristic landscapes and unique ecosystems for the tourists. Three-dimensional (3D) models are needed to construct the VR space. Recently, the combination technique of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or drones) and structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry have been attracting attention that can yield 3D models. The objective of this study was to construct of the VR space of the Tottori Sand Dunes using the 3D models generated from UAVs. The optimal photographing conditions and model creation conditions were also examined to make beautiful and small size 3D models for the construction of the VR space.

Two types of UAVs, Phantom4 and Phantom4-RTK, were used in this study. Agisoft Metashape was used as the SfM software to make 3D models. Number of polygons and textures are changed and examined to make beautiful and small size 3D models in the model creation processes. Unity3D, a cross-platform game engine, was used to construct the VR spaces. HTC VIVE was employed as the head mounted display for the VR system. As the results, the VR space which enables free virtual walk in the beautiful sand dunes was constructed. Increase in number of polygons of the 3D models increased file size but did not affect to the looks of the VR space. On the other hand, increase in number of textures strongly improved to the looks of the VR space. Similar approach is applicable to other sand dunes and deserts and will contribute to improve tourisms and environmental educations.