The traveler's guide to unlocking the value of metaverse in government

A new frontier is coming: the metaverse. And it’s left some organizations scratching their heads about how to get started. But what if “getting started” misses the point entirely? What if a bigger issue is how public sector organizations can realize value now, even while the metaverse evolves?

In fact, organizations can take a much more pragmatic approach—and they can do so today. Metaverse capabilities present the promise of using practical applications to create any environment for simulated interactions to help people do work better, learn faster, and be more connected with others.¹ Soldiers, surgeons, operatives, and first responders alike can learn new skills and practice existing ones in a controlled environment to help improve outcomes in the real world. A key could be tapping existing elements of a future metaverse to solve current problems—anything from interagency emergency scenario planning to treatment of veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It could start with assessing the important technological elements, such as virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and 5G, that may already be in use. By combining these components in ways that can solve real challenges or improve critical capabilities, organizations can accomplish a useful feat: benefiting from these technologies in the near-term, rather than waiting for a fully realized metaverse to develop.

The metaverse: A loose collection of immersive technologies

Tackling the metaverse likely requires understanding what it is. Unfortunately, no consensus on the definition of the metaverse exists, adding to some confusion among those wrestling with finding the best approach.

There are some elements that often underpin a definition of the metaverse, however. Ultimately, the metaverse may comprise a melding of digital, physical, and interpersonal worlds. These worlds likely already have existing connections—the digital and interpersonal worlds intersect in social media or online multiplayer games, for example. Traditional social interactions take place between the physical and interpersonal worlds. Technologies like augmented reality (AR) extend the digital world into the physical, while VR immerses users in a digital/physical hybrid world. So, it may not be surprising that the metaverse—fully immersive, interactive, and always on—is often enhanced with VR/AR and wearables.

Other important enabling technologies include AI and machine learning (ML), cloud, scalable computing, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and 5G and edge computing.² These technologies provide the intelligence, efficiency, connectivity, and interactive capabilities needed for the metaverse to operate. As these technologies inevitably develop and mature, they could enable new experiences that can optimize workflows, improve safety, and help organizations achieve their mission more effectively.

Unlimited Reality™: The building blocks

Much like our celestial universe, the metaverse is rapidly expanding with newly emerging capabilities and continuously evolving features. This ecosystem consists of a litany of hardware, software, head-mounted displays, sensory perception tools, and simulation applications. However, these existing technologies can do much more than form the essential building blocks of the metaverse: They could also provide a realistic entry point for public sector organizations looking for cutting-edge solutions to existing problems and ways to begin to build value in the near term. With this practical approach, which we call Unlimited Reality™, organizations can make use of existing technologies that will likely be accretive to a future, fully formed metaverse.

Such solutions often tend to be short-term immersive experiences, rather than the always-on, 24-hour-a-day environment that is often misperceived when using these technologies—but certainly a potential hallmark of the “future” metaverse. These shorter-term and more targeted experiences could require a lower barrier to entry in terms of computational power, relying on customized platforms that already exist, and allowing organizations to avoid having to start their journey from scratch.

Near-term opportunities within Unlimited Reality™ that may likely create enterprise value fall into one of these three “fields of play,” or categories of use cases:

1. Enterprise simulation combines physical and virtual three-dimensional (3D) objects to create immersive or hybrid replicas of real-world environments and processes aimed at optimizing enterprise operations and intelligent decision-making. It can be used for activities ranging from scenario planning and space design simulation to product design and testing, resulting in better decision-making and execution.
2. Augmented workforce experience creates immersive environments that use AR/VR, AI/ML, and decentralized digital-asset sharing designed to provide personalized experiences for learning, collaboration, workplace engagement, and productivity.
3. X-reality experiences are hybrid virtual and physical experiences that bring enduring worlds, transient experiences, and new forms of engagement to both industrial and citizen audiences.

Enterprise simulation: Replicas of the real world

By tapping immersive technologies such as VR or mixed reality that are enhanced by AI/ML, organizations can run simulations and bolster their decision-making capabilities. They can also use IoT sensors and 5G to layer in real-time data, thereby discovering insights that might otherwise be difficult to realize for anyone who isn’t on the ground.

Enterprise simulation scenarios can facilitate real-time collaboration among people who aren’t situated in the same location or time zone, but may need to work together to tackle geography-dependent problems such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or terrorist attacks. Enterprise simulation can enable interagency collaboration involving multiple individuals working in an immersive space to map out, say, response plans for emergency situations in digital replicas of specific locations.

For example, using a 3D map of a city, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Transportation representatives could work with local law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and others to explore scenarios and model the effect of multiple variables, such as different weather conditions and hazardous materials, on-foot and car traffic, evacuation routes, or demand for medical services. Legacy thinking in technology could only allow for the viewing of these outputs and reports as tables, charts, or similarly flattened structured data; however, in the immersive world, flat reports can be replaced with empathy, data, and simulations where users can see and experience the real-time impacts of decision-making. The result: Art meets science in new ways, as citizens and city planners could develop plans, policies, procedures, and guidelines for different conditions based on data and feel, priming the agencies involved to act faster and with more confidence than ever before.

There are already several examples of enterprise simulation now in operation. The US Department of Veteran’s Affairs is piloting VR for the treatment of PTSD in people with past trauma triggered by real-world situations. Individuals don immersive headsets and practice experiencing those challenging activities without having to be there physically.³ In another example, life science researchers wear VR headsets to visualize phenomena such as the ways proteins fold by moving around, touching, and zeroing in on different structures.⁴

Augmented workforce experiences: Training and productivity

Like enterprise simulation, augmented workforce experiences also allow participants to interact. But here, the goal is improving workforce learning and productivity through immersive solutions.

Consider synthetic training environments, which are already in use by the Department of Defense.⁵ They combine live and virtual training environments that mimic what happens in real surroundings. Soldiers wear goggles that present simulated battle images, which mix with what they see in the physical world around them, preparing them for real conflict situations. In the next iteration, which is expected to use AR, soldiers would take part in outdoor exercises during which they use simulated weapons to target simulated opponents crouching behind actual trees.

Other augmented workforce experiences include the use of “digital twins”—learning how to repair costly and potentially hazardous equipment in a simulated digital environment that is indistinguishable from its real-world counterpart, thereby allowing users to master those tasks before doing the work in the physical world. This could also replace unwieldy training manuals in paper binder or PDF form with VR-based training exercises. In addition, digital twins can be used to accelerate product design and testing, delivering better engineering and design outcomes by drafting, prototyping, and testing collaboratively in a shared 3D virtual space with virtual human support.

Another potential use is as a management tool for those in leadership positions. For example, someone in a victim advocate position could face complex problems holding difficult conversations with a subordinate or client, such as potential unconscious bias. To rehearse ahead of time, they could practice having that conversation with a realistic avatar in an immersive environment, since research has shown that people in difficult interpersonal situations are generally more comfortable when dealing with online avatars.⁶

X-Reality: Citizen engagement

Organizations ranging from the Social Security Administration and the Smithsonian to the Department of Motor Vehicles of different states can use this technology to engage with citizens. One potential use: An individual might want to visit the Grand Canyon but lack the time or physical wherewithal to do so in person. With that in mind, the National Park Service could create vivid experiences using immersive technologies that would allow individuals to tour the area from their homes.

Recruiting and hiring is another area rife with possibilities. For example, using immersive technology, a college student at a career fair might step into a day in the life of a role they’re interested in to get a feel of the job and whether it’s right for them.

Focusing on physical, digital, and interpersonal dimensions

Public sector leaders who may need further guidance narrowing down the best ways to create value for their organization can consider a three-part framework that includes physical, digital, and interpersonal elements. Any application of the metaverse ultimately bridges all three worlds. In fact, one can already see instances of two of these areas being merged—and adding a third can create an even greater impact.

Take digital twins, for example. While it’s useful for certain tasks, a significant missing element is the social or interpersonal dimension. By adding that component, organizations can share digital twin representations across a variety of players, such as government agencies, contractors, and sub-component manufacturers, among others, to help create more value.

Another approach is to assess the main activities performed by an agency, determine which elements are present, and then decide whether those tasks can be improved by introducing the missing feature. For example, one of the primary responsibilities of the United States Census Bureau is to collect data on citizens. That process today involves both the physical, in the form of door-to-door census takers, and the digital, using wireless devices to input that information. Adding a social component—say, connecting census workers to other data collectors via technology—could result in performance and morale improvements.

Evaluating value

Considerations for evaluating whether there’s value in a particular Unlimited Reality™ application may depend on the specific field of play. Assessments of enterprise simulations should focus on improved capabilities and the ability to make better decisions, while augmented workforce application evaluations should consider matters such as how much risk has been removed from training and whether logistical hurdles have been reduced or whether workplace efficiency has increased. As for X-reality experiences, an important measure is the extent to which they have enriched social interactions. In fact, in many cases, the evaluation could rely less on quantitative assessments than on qualitative factors. While specific measurements may differ from one application to another, a key consideration for public sector organizations could be the technology’s effect on mission effectiveness, rather than metrics such as cost savings. At the same time, however, quantitative efficiencies likely shouldn’t be discounted completely. Immersive training solutions, for example, often are measured by the increase in speed at which trainees learn new skills.

Assessments may also be limited by an organization’s ability to predict and understand how the new experience paradigms might unfold and how best to take advantage of them. Doing so can be a difficult task, requiring creativity and ingenuity, as well as a willingness to embrace trial and error, much like it did in the early days of the web.

How to get started

As with any new technology journey, getting started in the world of Unlimited Reality™ likely requires pinpointing the problem that needs to be solved or areas requiring improvements in efficiency or effectiveness.

An equally important step is raising awareness of the capabilities that could be created by the new technologies. Starting small and building concrete results that serve as proofs of concept may be key to such efforts. Also important is encouraging the participation of nontraditional thinkers who can help ensure a project isn’t encumbered by preconceived ideas and misconceptions. Specifically, people who can challenge organizational orthodoxies and smash barriers could be critical. A tech pioneer might say, “Performance reviews in the metaverse are going to be awesome given the ease of access and completely controllable environment.” On the other hand, a naysayer might say, “Legal will never let us have an employee performance discussion in the metaverse.” Consider finding a middle ground. Other important steps include anticipating the need for a process of iterating, outlining the timeline required to complete projects, and determining how expansive the experience could ultimately be.

It is important for organizations to develop a firm understanding of the underpinning metaverse technologies already in use. That means grasping the value they are delivering to the public sector today, as well as how they can be tapped to address existing problems. Ultimately, organizations might expect the metaverse to evolve in a similar fashion to the early days of the internet (e.g., “I want my physical newspaper”), mobile devices (e.g., “I will never put a credit card in my phone”) and/or cloud technologies such as hosting or software as a service (e.g., “I need all my data here, and I will never share it with anyone”).

In its early days, the web focused on widespread information dissemination; over time, it has evolved to become a more intuitive, interactive, and richer multimedia experience. The metaverse will likely further transform those experiences into more immersive and 3D environments. But the technologies that form the building blocks of Unlimited Reality™ are already in place—and organizations can start using them now.