Immersive Technology is Taking Hold Among Federal Civilian Agencies

Immersive Technology, also referred to as Extended Reality (XR), is gaining wide-spread use among federal civilian agencies.

The technology, which integrates physical elements with digital content, includes augmented reality (AR), mixed, or hybrid reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR) applications is often associated with video games and entertainment activities.

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) survey of 23 federal civilian listed in the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 revealed 16 agencies had used XR and/or conducted or funded research and development (R&D) during FY 2022 and 2023 and plan to expand use between FY 2024 and 2028. Agencies that had not used XR, plan to adopt it or conduct/fund R&D during that time. The survey did not include defense agencies.

The survey grouped XR use into nine categories requesting information on the extent of agency use, R&D activities or funding, planned use and R&D over the next five fiscal years, and perceived benefits and challenges. The number of agencies reporting use and R&D activities under each purpose is provided in parenthesis.

• Workforce training: Using hands-on, interactive, and immersive tools to help employees develop, improve, and maintain the knowledge and skills to perform their jobs, such as training pilots on aircraft flight controls or law enforcement officers on firearms use.
• Data visualization and analysis: Analyzing and presenting complex information in an immersive environment to help employees grasp difficult concepts and identify patterns in data.
• Human factors research: Creating immersive experiences to observe how users interact with technologies or the environment - such as a new control panel or new roadway design - to determine whether equipment is suitable for the users and their environment with each design iteration.
• Public outreach: Creating more interactive and engaging experiences to inform the public about a given subject or highlight the agency’s work and activities.
• Remote collaboration: Allowing employees and other users in multiple locations to work together in an immersive 3D environment.
• Design and planning: Creating designs of objects, processes, and systems that can then be tested iteratively using immersive technologies to evaluate design trade-offs.
• Medical assessment or treatment: Assessing, treating, managing, or supporting medical and mental health conditions using immersive tools for patients in a medical or clinical setting. For example, for patients who may have not responded well to conventional treatment or who could find it difficult to attend appointments in person.
• Real-time assistance, guidance, and inspection: Making more information available instantly to employees, allowing them to work more efficiently. For example, AR glasses could project additional information onto a user’s view when performing an inspection.
• Other purposes: Additional purposes that do not fit into the categories above – for example, remote operation of robots, rovers, and other computer-enabled devices, as well as showcasing immersive technologies’ capabilities to stakeholders.

The survey also included questions on the agencies’ regulatory transactions with nonfederal entities such as state, local and tribal governments, private agencies, academic institutions and law enforcement agencies and funding provided through grants, contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, loans and other transactional authorities (OTAs).

According to the report, agency use ranged from training simulations, virtual tours, testing simulations, process improvements and medical treatments to research and development activities. This included using simulators, Cave Automatic Virtual Environments (CAVEs) rooms with immersive technology and spatial computing which includes computing blended with physical world and virtual experiences.

Public Outreach and workforce training was the most widely reported use of XR with Human Factors Research and Workforce Training the top R&D activities. Examples of XR use included the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Security Administration's “classroom-in-a-box” for workforce training in a simulated airport environment and the Veterans Administration (VA) use for physical rehabilitation and pain management. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted R&D for the development of a VR system for training responders in collecting environmental samples. Responding agencies also included examples of how they used the technology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agency Reported Benefits, Challenges and Barriers

The top benefits of using immersive technology included improved decision-making, cost savings better understanding of data and increased safety. The most noted challenges were meeting federal cybersecurity and privacy regulations, rapid technology development, high operations and maintenance costs, access issues for users with limited resources and a limited number of workers with the necessary XR skills.

Contracting Environment Impacts

Expanding and adopting XR and the potential cross-utilization with AI and XR raises several questions. How will agencies incorporate the technology with existing infrastructure and applications? What role will AI play in adopting, integrating and enhancing XR technology? What costs are associated with XR adoption and expansion? How will the government report spending? How will the proposed legislation to streamline budget processes impact the granularity of information for FY 2024-2028? What will future required standards and security compliance measures encompass?

Adopting XR and integrating it with existing infrastructure and technologies such as AI will continue driving modernization efforts and costs. Upcoming legislation, standardization and guidance will lead to updated acquisition regulations and compliance requirements. Furthermore, tracking federal XR spending to guide competitive pricing strategies will remain tricky at best. While some agencies report XR-related activities directly, purchases are often embedded in R&D, IT hardware, software applications and services or other programs making it difficult to differentiate actual XR obligations from general IT spending.

And finally, recent recommendations by the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Commission Congress proposes reforms and streamlined approaches to the Department of Defense budget line item (BLI) data and Congressional Budget Justification information. Should Congress adapt those recommendations, it will limit the granularity of funding information in future budgets.

Companies must maintain an agile approach to meet evolving agency requirements, a clear understanding of federal regulations and a proactive approach to networking and teaming to maintain a strategic advantage, ensure bidding eligibility, avoid bid protests and successfully compete in this evolving market. The following charts provides insight into agency current use and plans through FY 2028.