Developing an online VR tool for participatory evaluation of animal vocal behaviours

Animal vocal behaviour represents a certain meaning, which is the explicit expression of animal emotions, needs and communication. Different from human language, animal vocal behaviour is very abstract, and the learning material of animal vocal behaviour is also more difficult to obtain. It is hard for college students to recognize vocal behaviours of animals accurately. Using virtual reality (VR) to describe them is an innovation in outdoor practice. Zoology teaching can be further enhanced by VR online application. However, current online VR application is mostly restricted as visualization tools, and the application in virtual sound environment is rarely supported. An online VR demonstrator tool was developed by integrating affordable visualization and auralization components. The tool could be published in mainstream web browsers with users' own devices. Sichuan golden monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) of Shennongjia Nature Reserve in Hubei province, China was used as the case site to create the virtual environment. A participatory evaluation was performed to test and evaluate the effect of the online VR tool. The result was analysed and discussed on the usability and potential of the VR tool in animal vocal behaviours.