VRFIS: an immersive framework for real-time flood monitoring, visualization, and interactive environmental analysis

Uditha Herath Mudiyanselage; Jerry Mount; Ramteja Sajja; Yusuf Sermet; Ibrahim Demir

doi:10.2166/hydro.2026.005

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VRFIS: an immersive framework for real-time flood monitoring, visualization, and interactive environmental analysis

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

VRFIS: an immersive framework for real-time flood monitoring, visualization, and interactive environmental analysis

Uditha Herath Mudiyanselage, Jerry Mount, Ramteja Sajja, Yusuf Sermet and Ibrahim Demir

Journal of hydroinformatics, Vol.28(9), pp.1062-1077

09/17/2026

DOI: 10.2166/hydro.2026.005

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Abstract

The rapid evolution of Mixed Reality (MR) technologies, particularly Virtual Reality (VR), offers powerful new means of visualizing and interacting with geographic and environmental data. This paper presents Virtual Reality Flood Information System (VRFIS), an immersive information platform developed using Unreal Engine 5 and Google Photo Realistic 3D Tiles to enable real-time exploration of high-resolution geospatial datasets across the United States. VRFIS integrates photorealistic terrain rendering, dynamic environmental simulation, and multimodal interaction within a fully immersive 3D environment, allowing users to visualize, query, and interpret complex environmental phenomena with unprecedented realism and spatial context. By coupling high-fidelity visualization with live data streams from authoritative sources such as USGS and NOAA, the system serves as an intuitive visualization and educational tool for environmental science, hydrology, urban planning, and geography education. To assess the system's practical utility and identify usability constraints, a qualitative expert evaluation was conducted with domain specialists, including hydrologists and geospatial analysts. The heuristic feedback demonstrates that while existing 2D web-based platforms excel at quantitative data management, immersive environments like VRFIS uniquely enhance spatial awareness, promote experiential learning, and provide volumetric context that can support environmental decision-making.

Hydrology

Virtual Reality

digital twin

geospatial visualization

immersive visualization

real-time environmental data

UIOWA OA Agreement

Details

Title: Subtitle: VRFIS: an immersive framework for real-time flood monitoring, visualization, and interactive environmental analysis
Creators: Uditha Herath Mudiyanselage - University of Iowa
Jerry Mount - University of Iowa
Ramteja Sajja - University of Iowa
Yusuf Sermet - Tulane University
Ibrahim Demir - Tulane University
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of hydroinformatics, Vol.28(9), pp.1062-1077
DOI: 10.2166/hydro.2026.005
ISSN: 1464-7141
eISSN: 1465-1734
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Number of pages: 16
Grant note: NA22NWS4320003 / NOAA Cooperative Institute Program Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH)
Language: English
Date published: 09/17/2026
Academic Unit: IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering; Injury Prevention Research Center; Chemistry
Record Identifier: 9985237505902771

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