Product Vision

Introduction

We envision a driving simulator that will provide a semi-realistic three-dimensional learning environment for novice drivers. This environment will simulate realistic driving conditions to include: road hazards, fellow drivers, and other interactive scenery. The interface will provide the user with a first-person driving perspective that will be intuitive for anyone familiar with the basic controls of an automobile. This environment will be presented to the user in the form of an application capable of running inside any modern web browser with internet access.

Business Opportunity

This product is being built from scratch as a prototype for a professor who is conducting research on educational technologies related to driver education. To date, there is no other simulator of this type that complies with the following requirements: cost effective, operates in a web browser, and gives the customer the ability to modify the final product to suit research requirements.

Product Statement

The problem of	cost-effectively practicing defensive driving
affects	drivers.
The impact of which	makes it difficult for drivers to learn from personal experience.
A successful solution would be	to use a driving simulator that allows drivers to practice driving situations over and over without costly repercussions such as property damage or personal injury.

Product Position Statement

For	drivers and researchers
who	wish to improve their skills or learn about drivers' reactions.
Our System	is a web-deployed application
that	allows users to practice defensive driving anywhere there is a capable web-browser
unlike	others solutions, which require either special equipment or locally installed software.
Our Product	provides a flexible driving simulator that allows for experimentation in known and user-specified driving hazards.

Stakeholder Demographics

The users of this product will include:

Students enrolled in a defensive driving course or participating in defensive driving research. These students, while operating the simulator, will be faced with typical driving hazards to practice defensive driving techniques, and these students will need only basic computer skills and access to the internet.

Professors conducting research on defensive driving or educational technologies; and System Administrators, or Instructors, who are conducting a defensive driving course. These users will require the skills necessary to administer a web based application and basic programming knowledge in order to create hazards and modify the simulation as desired.

Summary of System Features

Functional requirements:

The user shall be able to select a level of difficulty(low,med,high) before starting a simulation.
The simulation stops when the user has passed the level.
The driver shall be viewed in first person.
The vehicle shall display a rear-view mirror.
The driver terrain shall contain at least 10 streets.
The terrain's boundaries, displayed as walls, shall prevent the driver from crossing the boundaries.
The colors of walls and buildings can be unique per street.
The street environment shall contain road signs, crosswalks, and traffic lights.
The simulation shall stop and restart if the following terminating conditions occur:
- Driver collides with a stationary object.
- Driver collides with a moving object.
- Driver collides with another car.
- Driver exceeds the time limit.
The simulation shall replay the sequence of events before the terminating condition.
The animation shall run at least 15 frames per second.
The application shall run through a web browser.
The administrator shall be able to construct a map for users to drive through.
The application shall permit hazard editing, especially the construction and adjustment of hazards within a map.

Non-functional requirements:

The program shall be intuitive enough to require no user manual or help screens.
The program shall be accessible from any web browser.
The program shall be engaging and useful for practicing defensive driving.

Product Overview

This application must be written in a language that will provide 3D capability and function in browser independent fashion. This application must also be cost effective to implement and maintain, which may be facilitated by the use of open source, third pary, libraries.