Unlock the power of immersive digital experiences

When physical and digital worlds merge, mixed reality happens — and a new world of innovation and potential is unlocked.

The appeal of mixed reality goes beyond novelty and aesthetics. Organisations are increasingly discovering the potential of this immersive technology to bring value and redefine the way they work, create, design, construct and communicate.

With mixed reality and digital engineering (MRDE) solutions, you can harness the best of the physical and virtual domains. It allows users to create a seamless environment where real and digital elements coexist and interact in real-time. Supporting multi-disciplinary teams with enhanced collaboration on projects, that are liberated from geographical barriers, enables the visualisation of proposed designs and their contextual environments in an interactive, three-dimensional space that serves as a common ground for all stakeholders, technical and non-technical. And this is only one of many possibilities.

As with all new technologies, reservations can persist due to unfamiliarity. Perceived barriers to adoption may include a lack of clarity on costs, tools, applications and processes suitable for varied project complexities. An organisation’s digital maturity and data assets also affect its readiness to embrace this technology. Early adopters, however, are seeing favourable results.

Is mixed reality worth a try? Our answer is yes, definitely. At GHD Digital, we leverage advanced technologies to develop MRDE solutions for a diverse range of stakeholders, whether they’re looking to transform a space, build infrastructure, tell the story of their project with compelling vision, improve assets, simulate scenarios or explore models.

With the hybrid of digital content with physical reality, content is lifted off the 2D page and into 3D spaces. Both experts and non-experts are empowered to better understand complex technical scenarios and collaborate through the visualisation of integrated user specific information such as operational, maintenance, time, cost, visual impact and simulation data.

There are a myriad of applications: using models to gather insights and modify designs before project rollout, boosting efficiency by being able to assess and diagnose assets before onsite maintenance inspections, reducing safety risks through site familiarisation, and translating technical information into easy-to-grasp visual representations.  

Three of our clients demonstrate how using MRDE improves collaboration, enhances safety and brings confidence to earlier stages of project lifecycles.

In Australia, Transport for NSW sought to elevate information sharing and community engagement for a major infrastructure project, the two-stage Parramatta Light Rail. Our teams collaborated with our client to create an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) portal with a Virtual Engagement Room (VER), which conveyed project information traditionally shared using a PDF report. This community-friendly online engagement channel reduced barriers, such as language, disability or availability to attend community face to face sessions and enabled information sharing to more than 12,000 users. 

In the US, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) needed an immersive digital training solution to help educate firefighters on the different types of distributed energy resources (DERs) fires. In response, our team built an immersive and comprehensive digital Firefighter Incident Response Simulation Tool (FIRST) that imitates scenarios and DER fire sources. Ultimately, this software program enhances NFPA’s firefighter training, preparedness and safety.

In the UK, we are supporting Network Rail in the shift to a digital railway. The initial solution is targeting improved collection, integration and use of data to support earthwork inspections and minimise risks of slope failures. The solution is enhancing inspection activities by streamlining and automating processes along with providing greater coverage of site studies. The team has developed a spatial online visualisation tool that allows the team at Network Rail to undertake the full site inspection from their desktop with improved context over the traditional track side assessment. Along with the visual record from the biannual drone surveys, the team can perform instantaneous comparison of the changing conditions along the track, ensuring any concerns are picked up at the earliest opportunity to allow effective mitigation measures to be implemented. 

Whether your organisation is aiming to push the boundaries for ambitious projects or still testing possible applications, these are some key considerations and outcomes when harnessing MRDE:

Achieve enhanced understanding and collaboration. Project development and asset management business operations are complex and often involve a number of stakeholders with different backgrounds and disciplines. MRDE enables a common understanding by presenting a single source of truth using the right data and tools. It also promotes inclusive participation among project owners, operators, clients and communities.

‘Show, don’t tell’ and the power of creative storytelling. MRDE taps into people’s ability to digest visual information and better connect with their environment through full sensory experiences. MRDE solutions can elevate your organisation’s storytelling — by humanising designs and providing a dynamic vision of how innovations and projects can co-exist with communities and the environment.  

The crucial role of data and information management. Data is a critical input. Combining reliable and current data with the desired multimedia content ensures that teams can present accurate information to the right people at the right time. This leads to better communication and more precise decision-making.

Connect with us and learn how we can bring your ideas to life in vibrant 3D, where projects aren’t just planned but experienced. From project inception to execution, we blend technology and artistry to create compelling narratives through the art of visualisation.