GroundUP:Constructingacityinvirtualrealms

Overview
Imagineaplatformwheretheuser,a13yearoldgirlwhoattendsapublicschoolinasmalltownlike Bradbury,California,isabletotakecontroloftheplanningofacity.Shewilluseherupperbodymovement andhandgesturestoplacebuildings,tracethepathofthesubway,designateplacesforparksand recreationalspaces,andallkindsofdecisionsneededtohavethecityrunning.Shecouldevengodeepin thedetailsandchangethedesignofthebuildingsifshewants!Andthen,asthisisacitylikethereal ones,unexpectedproblemsanddisastersmayhappen,keepingthisgirlengaged,thinkingandlearning,all atthesametime!

Goal
OurgoalistoapplyandunderstandhowSTEAMconceptsaffecturbanplanningduringnatural disasters.

TargetAudience
OurtargetaudiencearemiddleschoolstudentswhostudySTEAMconceptsintheirclassroom.

Concept
GroundUPuserswillusePerceptualComputingdevicestointeractwiththevirtualcitytheycreate.Users willfaceascreenandusetheirupperbodymovementandhandgesturestofulfillthesoftwaregiventaskto managedifferentobjectstomaketheircreation.Thesystemwillbeprogrammedwiththreedifferentplay modes:Construction,Prevention,andReconstruction.Constructiondealstheconstructionand planningofacitywithandtheusualproblemsofacity,providingtheopportunitytodeveloppreexistent townsortocreateanewonefromscratch.Preventiondealswithspecificscenariosoffuturedangerfora cityandthedecisionstheusercanputtoworktoavoidtheworstconsequencesofthosesituations,again withtheopportunitytodealwithpreexistenttownsintheirwaytobecomecitiesortobuildcompletelynew cities.Finally,Reconstructionistheplaymodedesignedtotesttheability,knowledgeandskillsofthe studentstoprovideanefficientplanforacitytryingtoovercomethedevastatingeffectsofnaturalor manmadedisastershappeningincitiesbuiltinthesoftwareorprovidedbytheuser.

UserexperienceInGroundUp,studentswillbeabletoexploretheideaofconstructing
existingoruntouchedlandmasswithbodymovement.Thesimulationwillprovideopportunitiesforthe userstointeractwithconceptssuchasurbanplanning,naturaldisasters(e.g.floodings, earthquakes),manmadedisasters(e.g.nuclearexplosions,war),risksforcities(e.g.public transportationcollapse,trashdisposalservicesonstrike)whilehavingfunandfeelingincontrolwith naturalcommandsofmovement.

TechnologiesInthissoftware,studentscansimulateurbanplanningincludingconstruction,
prevention,andreconstructiontomanipulate3Dmodelingbyusingtheirownhands.Thissimulation softwarewillbeservedinmuseumsorexhibitions.