Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is slated to become a development platform for immersive training simulations in January of 2008. The new product will be called Microsfot ESP, and will include the simulation engine, development tool and worldwide content that models the entire Earth. The models include a user-adjustable weather system, five seasons (autumn, winter, hard winter, spring, summer), and the entire sky (including 10,000 stars).
This is an exciting convergence of geospatial, gaming and simulation capabilities. I’m eager to see how the platform may be harnessed outside of the defense and aviation industries.
The use of modeling and simulation engines for serious games seems to be a growing trend. The ability to test scenarios in a simulated environment saves time, money and resources. It is also an effective means to train quickly and add a greater awareness of the environment.
It’s interesting to learn that Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is its longest continuously shipping product. Just think of the time and energy that has gone into enhancing this platform over the years. The fact that it now becomes a platform for development will likely make large inroads into the still closed and proprietary simulation space. The inclusion of Microsoft Virtual Earth models within this product will likely lead to accelerated convergence between the gaming and geospatial communities.
In the release that announces this new platform, the product manager speculates on build out of other environments, “Why not an undersea exploration simulation? What about a hot-air balloon simulator? There are other markets and we think Microsoft ESP’s roadmap will allow us to think outside the box more as the platform evolves.â€
There’s also details about what’s next: “While version one focuses on civil and military aviation training and decision support, version two will add support for vehicle operator training, ground operations and other scenarios. Next, the team will focus on building out an even richer and more complex set of location details – on the water, under the water, inside buildings and cities.”
The coming convergence of GIS, CAD and Building Information Model data just got a lot more interesting.
