Virtual Geographies

Virtual geographies are a broad area of research within geography and geographic information science that seeks to understand how new digital technologies and modes of communication are creating new notions of space and place. Among those areas of interest are the creation and exploration of virtual environments, including virtual worlds, cyberspace, and cybergeographies, and notions of other invisible social spaces. As the Internet, the World Wide Web, and other communication technologies continue to expand their roles in everyday lives, the study of the virtual geographies of evolving digital society will become an even more important component of the discipline. Understanding the virtual geographies they create, whether they be virtual worlds we inhabit through our avatars, the rapidly changing invisible landscape of cyberspace, or the virtual spaces of social interaction, will become an increasingly important aspect of understanding geography itself.

Perhaps the most recognizable of virtual geographies are digital reconstructions of landscapes, whether real or imagined. Recent advances in affordable graphics technologies are now moving far beyond the static two-dimensional paper map and providing researchers with the tools to not only generate nearly photo-realistic three-dimensional virtual landscape environments but also incorporate realistic light and textures as well as replicate physical systems such as cloud and water movement, fog, and weather. Computer and video games now routinely feature extensive virtual worlds with recognizable geography and real-world behaviors, and the ability to achieve a high level of realism is a key element in the commercial success of such games.

Creating a sense of immersion through the generation of such lifelike virtual landscape features, combined with camera perspectives and navigation that mimic human perceptions of movement through space, is a key element in generating the sense of immersion and interaction that allows users to feel as if they are experiencing a virtual landscape. To further enhance the sense of immersion within the virtual world, many researchers are turning their attention to developing tools and mechanisms for conveying other sensory aspects that imbue a location with a sense of place, such as sound and even smell.

Until recently, much of the work in the development of virtual landscape reconstructions was focused on individual virtual-world projects, but the rapid adoption of Internet technology has spurred the development of online virtual worlds such as Linden Lab's Second Life (http://secondlife.com). These new collaborative virtual worlds are beginning to demonstrate the power of such environments for the generation and shared exploration of digitally re-created spaces and places. These virtual worlds, based on either real-world or fantasy landscapes, provide users a familiar way in which to interact with a digital landscape, as they move and interact with virtual elements through an avatar, a virtual self. In addition, activities in many virtual worlds such as Second Life are centered on building spaces and places within the virtual platform, creating new virtual geographies that do not necessarily have direct analogs within the real physical world. However, the geographic principles that seek to explain how humans shape and interact with space and place are clearly visible within these virtual geographies.

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