Application of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology in Mining and Civil Engineering
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper is well written and provides a good overview of the use of VR. Section 3 is very heavy on text. Please consider adding visuals to enhance the visibility of the paper. Also, it would be interesting to discuss how the use of VR has evolved over the years and what new capabilities were enabled as the technology matured.
Author Response
RESPONSES TO THE REVIEWER'S COMMENTS (REVIEWER 1)
Manuscript ID: sustainability-2860537
Manuscript title: Application of the virtual reality (VR) technology in mining and civil engineering
Answer: The authors would like to thank the editor and reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing our paper. We made the necessary changes (shown below) as recommended by the reviewers. The changes included additional details about the identify a gap in the existing literature as well as other changes that aim to improve the quality of the paper and address the reviewers’ comments and concerns. Some of the changes are described below; other changes can be found in the revised version of the paper.
Comment 1: The paper is well written and provides a good overview of the use of VR. Section 3 is very heavy on text.
Answer: We understand the reviewer's concern that "section 3 contains a great deal of text", but this is the most relevant part of the work. Therefore, it requires an extensive presentation. To facilitate understanding of the content and readability, this section has been divided into shorter sub-sections.
Comment 2: Please consider adding visuals to enhance the visibility of the paper. Also, it would be interesting to discuss how the use of VR has evolved over the years and what new capabilities were enabled as the technology matured.
Answer: A figure showing the elements of a VR system has been added to the article.
Also, we have added to Section 1 a discussion of how the use of VR has evolved over the years and what new opportunities have been made available as the technology has developed, as below:
“Virtual reality has seen significant progress since its modest beginnings in the 1990s. Initially experimental and confined to research laboratories and academic institutions, the technology has shown an evolution in both hardware and software, leading to advanced VR systems. In the first decade of the 21st century, the technological boom brought the emergence of VR pioneers ushering in a new era of virtual reality exploration. The increased interest in this area has led to the development of a number of platforms offering high quality visual experiences, interactions and immersive experiences for users.
Innovation in interaction has played a key role in the technological development of VR. The introduction of wired or wireless motion controllers has enabled users to manipulate objects in a virtual environment, further increasing immersion and engagement. In addition, motion-tracking technologies have made it possible to move more naturally in a virtual space, increasing the realism of the experience.
With the development of technology, VR has crossed the boundaries of entertainment and found its way into various fields such as education, training, medicine, architecture and tourism. The ability to move into a virtual environment allows users to experience reality in a completely new way, opening the door to unlimited possibilities for exploration and creation.
Virtual reality has come a considerable way from its modest beginnings to the now sophisticated systems that offer users the opportunity to embody entirely new worlds and experience reality in ways that seemed impossible just a few years ago.”
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors1. The clarity and readability of the manuscript are very good.
2. The authors have stated that there is still a lack of review studies in the literature to identify existing research topics and gaps. But several review studies on this topic are available on Scopus and also in WoS. Authors should highlight what makes their study original. The originality of the article is not mentioned at all.
3. The paper demonstrates an adequate understanding of the relevant literature in the field. It appears that no significant article has gone unnoticed. However, I have two questions:
3A. Why only the Scopus database? Please, explain why this particular database is applied.
3B. In Materials and Methods there is a complete lack of explanation… On the basis of what approximately 100 articles (listed in Table 2 and further analysed) were selected from the 953 records? This justification is completely missing. The authors have stated: Table 2 summarises a selection of the more important scientific work on the use of VR technology in various areas of mining and civil engineering. … Who and on what basis decided which works are the more important?
4. The methods employed are appropriate. However, the results including “4. Future of VR technology” seem to be poor. The authors have stated “The literature (sources) was analysed and critiqued on the basis of defined criteria (row 93). I see no criteria and no criticism. Even the conclusion is not sufficiently connected to the other elements of the article.
Author Response
RESPONSES TO THE REVIEWER'S COMMENTS (REVIEWER 2)
Manuscript ID: sustainability-2860537
Manuscript title: Application of the virtual reality (VR) technology in mining and civil engineering
Answer: The authors would like to thank the editor and reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing our paper. We made the necessary changes (shown below) as recommended by the reviewers. The changes included additional details about the identify a gap in the existing literature as well as other changes that aim to improve the quality of the paper and address the reviewers’ comments and concerns. Some of the changes are described below; other changes can be found in the revised version of the paper.
Comment 1: The clarity and readability of the manuscript are very good.
Answer: The authors thank the reviewer for his willingness and participation in the manuscript review process.
Comment 2: The authors have stated that there is still a lack of review studies in the literature to identify existing research topics and gaps. But several review studies on this topic are available on Scopus and also in WoS. Authors should highlight what makes their study original. The originality of the article is not mentioned at all.
Answer: We agree with the reviewer's comment. We have added information about sample review articles and highlighted what makes our study original. The originality of the article has been added in section 2, as below:
“Considering all these aspects, it seems that virtual reality could be an important technological solution for the control of mining and construction projects, taking into account occupational safety. Many researchers point to the possibility of improving the safety status of workplaces through the use of innovative technologies, including virtual reality technology. There are studies available in the existing literature, such as [9-13], which are crucial in identifying existing research topics and gaps in the application of virtual reality (VR), but they still lack a presentation of the issue under analysis from different perspectives and contexts. To fill this gap, this review study aims to provide a bibliometric and scientific mapping approach to review the state-of-the-art articles published in peer-reviewed journals on the application of virtual reality technology in mining and construction. Using the above data analysis methods, the authors aimed to present the issue from two perspectives / scientific fields to better understand existing trends and gaps in the field of VR application. The authors focused on two scientific fields of VR applications, i.e. mining and construction, to identify unique research topics and needs, recent technological developments and trends, and practical application.”
- Radianti, J.; Majchrzak, T.; Fromm, K.; Wohlgenannt, I. A systematic review of immersive virtual reality applications for higher education: Design elements, lessons learned, and research agenda. Computers & Education 2000, 147, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103778
- Hamad, A.; Jia, B. How Virtual Reality Technology Has Changed Our Lives: An Overview of the Current and Potential Applications and Limitations, Int J nviron Res Public Helath 2022, 19(19), https://doi.org/110.3390/ijerph191811278
- Babalola, A.; Manu, P.; Cheung, C.; Yunusa-Kaltungo, A.; Bartolo, P. Applications of Immersive Technologies for Occupational Safety and Health Training and Education: A Systematic Review. Safety Science 2023, 166, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106214
- Strojny, P.; Dużmańska-Misiarczyk, Measuring the effectiveness of virtual training: A systematic review, Computers & Education: X Reality 2023, 2, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cexr.2022.100006
Comment 3: The paper demonstrates an adequate understanding of the relevant literature in the field. It appears that no significant article has gone unnoticed. However, I have two questions:
3A. Why only the Scopus database? Please, explain why this particular database is applied.
Answer: The Scopus database is one of the primary, most popular and most important scientific databases. The Web of Science database contained a smaller number of data that were included in the Scopus database. In reference to this, only data from the Scopus database was included.
Comment: 3B. In Materials and Methods there is a complete lack of explanation… On the basis of what approximately 100 articles (listed in Table 2 and further analysed) were selected from the 953 records? This justification is completely missing. The authors have stated: Table 2 summarises a selection of the more important scientific work on the use of VR technology in various areas of mining and civil engineering. … Who and on what basis decided which works are the more important?
Answer: An explanation has been added to limit the number of articles analysed to the records indicated in the database, as below:
This resulted in a total of 953 records, significant part of which occur twice or are not related to the mining or construction industry (Table 1), ultimately allowing just over 100 scientific papers to be included.
Comment 4: The methods employed are appropriate. However, the results including “4. Future of VR technology” seem to be poor. The authors have stated “The literature (sources) was analysed and critiqued on the basis of defined criteria (row 93). I see no criteria and no criticism. Even the conclusion is not sufficiently connected to the other elements of the article.
Answer: In answer to comment 2, we indicated that the aim of the article was to identify unique research topics and needs, recent technological developments and trends, and practical application. The purpose of the article was not to critique (this was modified in the section 3) but to present the possibilities, trends and future of VR technology.
We hope that the completed issues are sufficient for the reviewer and that they clarify all doubts.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis paper discussed the application of the virtual reality (VR) technology in mining and civil engineering. The application status of the VR and the future development direction of the VR were discussed. I think this paper is interesting. But I still believe that this paper can be improved based on the following aspects.
(1) In the introduction, the authors mention that "In recent years, there have been significant technological advances that have given engineers access to different tools for modelling and visualising different parts of our reality." I recommend that the authors can add some references to support the latest tools and methods for modelling. The following reference can be added as the support (10.1007/s00603-022-03160-8).
(2) What tools are used to search the reference? It should be indicated in the paper.
(3) For the section "3.1 mining", it should be enhanced.
(4) Can authors add a discussion section about this topic?
(5) There is no figure for this paper. I think the authors can add some papers that are related to this topic.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageGenerally, it's fine.
Author Response
RESPONSES TO THE REVIEWER'S COMMENTS (REVIEWER 3)
Manuscript ID: sustainability-2860537
Manuscript title: Application of the virtual reality (VR) technology in mining and civil engineering
Answer: The authors would like to thank the editor and reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing our paper. We made the necessary changes (shown below) as recommended by the reviewers. The changes included additional details about the identify a gap in the existing literature as well as other changes that aim to improve the quality of the paper and address the reviewers’ comments and concerns. Some of the changes are described below; other changes can be found in the revised version of the paper.
Comment 1: This paper discussed the application of the virtual reality (VR) technology in mining and civil engineering. The application status of the VR and the future development direction of the VR were discussed. I think this paper is interesting. But I still believe that this paper can be improved based on the following aspects.
Answer: The authors thank the reviewer for his willingness and participation in the manuscript review process.
Comment 2: (1) In the introduction, the authors mention that "In recent years, there have been significant technological advances that have given engineers access to different tools for modelling and visualising different parts of our reality." I recommend that the authors can add some references to support the latest tools and methods for modelling. The following reference can be added as the support (10.1007/s00603-022-03160-8).
Answer: Virtual reality is based on the visualisation of phenomena, processes and planned scenarios using prior modelling. The purpose of this article is not to present the modelling process but the possibilities of using virtual reality in mining and civil engineering.
Therefore, the authors do not agree that the presentation of modelling methods and tools is important here.
Comment 3: (2) What tools are used to search the reference? It should be indicated in the paper.
Answer: The authors used the Scopus database, where they defined the keywords. On this basis, records were found. Section 3 describes how the references were searched.
Comment 4: (3) For the section "3.1 mining", it should be enhanced.
Answer: The article broadly describes how VR technology can be used in mining engineering. VR technology is used for education; design, modelling and monitoring of technological processes; and occupational safety. If the reviewer has any specific comments in mind then the authors would like to ask for their indication. This will certainly facilitate appropriate changes to the manuscript.
Comment 5: (4) Can authors add a discussion section about this topic?
Answer: Section 5 contains a discussion and summary of the analysis. To underline this, we have modified the section title, as below:
Future of VR technology - discussion.
Comment 6: (5) There is no figure for this paper. I think the authors can add some papers that are related to this topic.
Answer: A figure showing the elements of a VR system has been added to the article.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsPublish.
Author Response
The authors thank the reviewer for his willingness and participation in the manuscript review process.
