vGov is a partnership of several federal government agencies (both civilian and military) exploring the development and application of virtual worlds technology in a secure environment to serve the Federal Government’s business needs.

USDA is a proud member of that partnership and we are committed to the idea that Virtual Worlds technology will break through the numerous barriers to collaboration, communication, and training by providing “cyber-space” for government employees to interact. This could virtually eliminate the need for traditional brick and mortar conference rooms and the time and money spent on travel.

vGov is much more than simple 3d gaming, it is about education, innovation, and about changing the way the Federal Government does business.

Virtual Worlds is a rapidly developing technology and vGov at USDA is leading the way by applying these new and exciting tools to the challenges faced by the Federal Government in providing communication, collaboration, and education to a diverse workforce spread across the globe.

What is a Virtual World?

Virtual World is a general term for many different computer technologies that provide an online environment where people located anywhere in the world can communicate, interact, and collaborate in a virtual space that closely simulates their real world experience.

Each person controls and is represented by an avatar for their interaction with others “in world” which produces an engaging, immersive experience.

While similar to video gaming and online fantasy communities, Virtual Worlds at USDA is about collaboration, education, and changing the way we do business.

And unlike teleconferencing or even video conferencing, each participant has a real sense of presence in the virtual world so conversations and interactions flow more naturally. This is a 3D immersive experience that goes way beyond a simple telephone conversation.

The technology is advancing rapidly and each iteration brings new capabilities that make the 3d Virtual World experience even more engaging and exciting.

vGov at USDA

USDA is actively involved in the development and use of virtual world technologies working in partnership with several other government agencies and taking an active role in the Virtual Worlds community at large.

We currently host several virtual world platforms for ongoing operations in our National Information Technology (NITC) secure federal Enterprise Data Center and we are exploring new virtual world technologies and their possible application in the Federal Government. We are also working with other types of 3d technologies developing immersive, engaging environments for education, training, and simulations.

The vGov team at USDA is geographically dispersed, so we not only look for ways other federal agency’s can use virtual worlds, we use them ourselves to stay in touch and collaborate on our many projects.

This is a brand new paradigm and the vGov at USDA team is excited to be a part of it!

For more information please email vGov@ocio.usda.gov