A Virtual Reality Simulation of a Real Landslide for Education and Training: Case of Chiradzulu, Malawi, 2023 Landslide

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is a promising new educational and training tool in the field of disaster and emergency management, especially for hazards that are not frequent or well known to the public and require spatial and situational understanding. The objective of this paper is to describe an educational VR simulation that was developed based on a landslide that really occurred in Southern Malawi during the March 2023 Cyclone Freddy. The cyclone induced several landslides that caused many casualties and significant damage. The VR simulation framework consisted of four critical steps using Unity3D for the creation of the simulation including data preparation, terrain and environmental modeling, landslide simulation development, and virtual reality interactions. The simulation scenarios were diversified to include three distinct landscapes that can help users learn how factors such as terrain can influence landslide impacts. The VR simulation offers users an intimate, firsthand experience of the landslide’s unfolding and allows users the ability to explore various facets of the landslide phenomena. This VR simulation aims to provide an educational tool to facilitate an in-depth understanding of and interaction with a real-word landslide to learn about the impacts of landslides and how different factors can influence these impacts.