Augmented Reality Visualization for Enhanced Spatial-Temporal Cognition in Indoor Emergency Response

Published

July 30, 2025

Author(s)

Fang Xu, Haohui Bao, Tianyu Zhou, Hengxu You, Joseph Gabbard, Jing Du, Scott Ledgerwood

Abstract

In indoor emergency scenarios, such as search and rescue operations, the demand for fast and accurate spatial-temporal cognition is critical to ensure successful mission completion and situational awareness. These environments often challenge first responders with limited visuals and occluded lines of sight due to complex layouts and dynamic environment. Moreover, spatial-temporal cognition, which includes the ability to estimate task completion times and assess one's own status, plays a crucial role in making vital decisions under pressure. This paper explores the enhancement of these cognitive abilities through the application of newest Augmented Reality (AR) devices, focusing on indoor scenarios. Utilizing augmented reality and reality capturing technologies, a digital twin model of a three-level indoor structure was built based on the LiDAR scans of the Turlington Hall at University of Florida. An augmented reality environment was then constructed based on the digital twin and featuring Unity engine and HoloLens2 for the users to access a variety of spatial information. Based on the developed system, an experiment (N=30) was conducted to test the spatial cognition efficacy of participants with spatial and temporal estimation tasks. The result showed that despite the limitations in distance and scale estimation, AR displays have its unique strength in enhancing temporal cognition in indoor environment. The finding supports the effectiveness of AR application in emergency response missions and addressed the demand for future development of next generation AR solutions. The results demonstrated enhancements in spatial-temporal cognition, confirming the potential of AR in professional applications.

Citation

IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

spatial temporal cognition, indoor navigation, emergency response, augmented reality

Citation

Xu, F. , Bao, H. , Zhou, T. , You, H. , Gabbard, J. , Du, J. and Ledgerwood, S. (2025), Augmented Reality Visualization for Enhanced Spatial-Temporal Cognition in Indoor Emergency Response, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (Accessed October 25, 2025)