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It is a natural extension to proceed from learning without boundaries to virtual environments. From the extended classroom to the individual or team immersion in a distributed, virtual and collaborative environment is an easy conceptual step. On the technical side, however, we need to know the feasibility and the amount of added value in order to make cost-effective decisions for training or educational systems by incorporating virtual environments into our learning repertoire. These topics and these issues were addressed at a workshop in the United Kingdom in March 1995. The chapters in Part One of this book have been based upon presentations at that workshop. It was determined that we must ensure those functions possible in the virtual environment can be operationalized. Therefore, the definition of virtual reality or virtual environment must be adequate to include the requisite learning functionalities. In that regard, it is useful to start out with an agreed upon definition of virtual reality; and this was accomplished by two of the NATO groups at one of our meetings.

The re-structuring of the U.S. military forces in size and composition, along with decreased funds for real exercises and equipment, has focused attention on how to maintain a well- trained and flexible force. These changes are affecting NATO as well. While NATO for years has been more interested in hardware and weapons technology, recent changes in economics, force structure, and the European infrastructure have stimulated a strong interest in education and training technologies. The Research Study Group on Advanced Technologies Applied to Training Design (RSG-16) was established by Panel 8 of the NATO Defense Research Group, in order to provide an active exchange of data, methods, models, and media throughout the NATO alliance.

One way for the NATO community to exchange information and stimulate research on advanced technology to aid training design is to establish a database on this topic. Such a database will give researchers, training developers, system developers, manpower and personnel planners, policy makers, and others concerned with military manpower, personnel, and training issues a shared forum for exchanging information and advancing the state of the art.