The Army Family Support Center Building communities and information for those left behind

Project Description The Army Family Support Center is for the families who remain behind when a soldier deploys Some family members are not near a military base and do not know about programs to support them It provides information families can use It provides an opportunity to build a community not dependent on physical location by using a virtual reality (VR) environment It is an experiment in social interaction and information sharing and not endorsed by the U.S. Army

Current Configuration Existing Information rooms Related sub-rooms −Military Base Specific Information Rooms −Subject Specific Information rooms Depression Grief Resources As information resources develop new information rooms appear addressing specific subjects World Weather

Technical Based in ActiveWorlds Inexpensive compared to Second Life World wide access and secure Small bandwidth requirement (works over a modem) Less processing power needed Will run as a stand alone Available to web users but can be password protected

Provides Dynamic Information Centralizes information Capstone multiple web sites Sets up community validation of information

Community Establishs an on-line community with no bounds on location −A PC with access to the web anywhere in the world −Free access to the virtual world Draw users with useful information Enables relationships −Validate Site −Make Friends −Share Problems −Solve Issues −Get Advice Allows Services −Counseling −Assistance −Direction

Summary The VR Based Army Family Support Center: −Uses web based content −Establishes a community dynamic −Reaches those who are not near military facilities −Enables formal and informal support structures −Is inexpensive to implement