Two workshops devoted to the topic of the OPENVERSE’s technological framework took place on 24th September and 1st October. The first workshop focused on the data building block, while the second provided the opportunity to discuss the matters of computing and connectivity. Together, those two discussions on different aspects of the Virtual Worlds, helped progress the understanding of the base line requirements, which needs to be met to create a proper environment within European Union, for realisation of the vision of accessible Virtual Worlds, bringing the value to the whole society.
Data for Virtual Worlds
The topic of access to data for the sake of creating virtual worlds is not a trivial matter. It faces challenges from different perspectives. Looking at the data building block from the user’s perspective, issues arise when it comes to the ownership of data generated as a result of actions taken within the virtual world. If the created outcomes qualify as subject matter of intellectual property, who is entitled to the intellectual property rights? Is it the user or perhaps the provider of the virtual world environment? That is one of the questions raised by the participants of the workshops, which needs to be properly addressed before any serious business activity can take place in virtual worlds.
Similar problems were highlighted regarding the functional aspects of virtual worlds in relation to data. With ever-changing data-related legislation within the EU, new regulations and directives being introduced, and the review of legacy legislation, compliance is more challenging than ever. The matter becomes even more complicated once the international, cross-border dimension is added, which is extremely relevant for companies providing virtual-world related services and products, due to the necessity of scaling and building a wider consumer base.
Last but not least, the participants of the workshop highlighted that the technical aspects of data for virtual worlds remain a challenge. Data interoperability does not yet exist within the EU, and work on this is still at a rather early stage. Without well-defined standards, there is a risk of lock-in. From the user’s perspective, the lack of common standards will be clearly visible and experienced through such simple matters as differences in the behaviour of body models across virtual worlds, which will lead to an unpleasant experience. Moreover, with the further adoption of virtual worlds in “mission-critical” applications, data integrity is key to ensuring the safety of the individuals concerned.
Computing and Connectivity for Virtual Worlds
The workshop on 1st October focused on computing and connectivity. Considering that virtual worlds are meant to create an immersive digital environment, the seamless experience within them, is key. Without computing capacities, virtual worlds won’t be able to provide real-time rendering and simulation, while connectivity is necessary for the users to join the virtual worlds which otherwise will remain empty, unused “shell”. One of the key topics raised during the workshop was the role of edge computing in enabling real-time immersive experiences. As participants noted, the distribution of computing resources between local devices, edge nodes and large-scale cloud data centres determines whether virtual worlds can deliver lag-free environment. The concept of “computing proximity” was used to illustrate how latency increases with distance between the user and the processing infrastructure. It was agreed that multi-access edge computing can help reduce delays for tasks requiring fast feedback loops, such as rendering and user interaction tracking. Yet, the discussion also emphasised that most data centres remain located outside Europe, highlighting the strategic need to build European computing capabilities in support of digital sovereignty. Another part of the conversation focused on connectivity standards and the evolution towards 6G networks. In Valerio Frascolla’s presentation, he explained that mixed-criticality networks, those serving both time-sensitive and non-critical traffic, will be the future of the virtual-world infrastructures. He introduced the concept of time-sensitive networking as a key mechanism to guarantee reliability and synchronisation across different access technologies like Wi-Fi and 5G. The discussion concluded that European participation in emerging global standards is essential to ensure interoperability and to prevent excessive dependency on proprietary or geographically limited solutions.