Mapping & Surveys

The initial mapping activities describe the status quo of relevant competencies of research institutions and in the company sector as well as the existing VR infrastructure in the project region. This activity will be followed by a survey focused on the needs of target groups in all regions of the project in their expectations regarding VR applications in care education and in the practice.

Mapping

First activity within the VReduMed project was devoted to mapping. The goal was to describe status quo about relevant competences of research institutions and in the company sector as well as the existing VR infrastructure in the project region. We base our experience of preceding project VReduNet. We used previous results of mapping and supplemented them with additional inputs from all partners regions. This mapping activity is crucial from the perspective of the project, because thanks to it we have identified most important stakeholders, which are potential partners, and regions where are concentrated activities related to virtual reality and health care sector. In this activity we collected over 200 records.

The web map application ArcGIS Dashboard was chosen for visualization and as the main output of the activity, which clearly shows the geographical distribution and structure of organizations and bring more insights onto data we collected. Application is freely available to the public via project website, but the main purpose is firm data background for all project members in continuing activities.

Survey

After completing the initial mapping of key actors' status quo in project regions, the project consortium took a step forward to engage with these actors, aiming to conduct an initial transnational survey of VR competences and awareness.

The primary objective is to determine whether the education and business sectors have encountered VR solutions and, if so, to understand their perspectives. This includes their opinions on VR, as well as their visions for implementing this technology into their typical routines and daily operations.
To achieve this, the questionnaire was designed with two pathways. The first is tailored for subjects with existing VR experience. Here, our primary focus is on understanding the purpose of usage, challenges faced during implementation, and perceived future potential.

The second pathway targets respondents who have not yet experienced VR in their typical activities. In this case, we are interested in their perceptions of VR technology and the reasons for not incorporating it into their operations.

Recognizing that a lengthy questionnaire may result in a lower response rate, we ensured that the survey is concise, comprising a maximum of 13 questions. Most of these are single or multiple-choice questions, facilitating the creation of cumulative final statistics. The goal was to keep the questionnaire's completion time under 10 minutes, respecting the time of our respondents and recognizing the limited attention span for questionnaires. Respondents also have the option to provide additional details and opinions through open qualitative questions, enriching the data collected.

The questionnaire was initially developed in English and later localized into the language of each region involved. To encourage respondents to share their insights, the questionnaire guarantees full anonymity. However, respondents can choose to voluntarily provide their email contacts, enabling them to be invited to upcoming round table events. These events will serve as platforms for networking and sharing experiences and best practices among key actors, aligning with the synergy of our project activities.

If you are interested in the results of the VReduMED survey, you can download the full research document here: VReduMED Survey Results