**4.1 Stage Iar – Reinforcing Stage**

104 Virtual Reality and Environments

The ROTATOR model has seven distinct stages that extend from a purely virtual world communicative environment to a real world presentation with no augmentation or virtual world presentation. The operative characterisitcs of each stage of this model are divided into four areas: 1) Business Environment, 2) collaborative tasks, 3) end-users, and 4) other encompassing technologies. These areas are designed and described because they are the ones most likely to affect and represent the business needs, uses, and outcomes available. The ROTATOR framework is specifically designed to be used as a situational, needs analysis based tool for business and other industries to use to guage the best investment of their time and money if they choose to begin using virtual reailty or augmented reality environments. The use of the term ROTATOR is indicative of the fact that business can approach the integration of virtual workspaces from either end of the model. In its broadest sense, the concept of rotation involves having a clear central point that stays fixed and in this context that fixed point is the process of virtual workplace collaborations and like any palindrome it can be approached from either end. In the case of virtual workspace collaborations that movement is between the two extremes of real and virtual environments, with varying degrees of reality and virtualized processes and capabilities enmeshed in

Stage numbering begins at boths ends as well using roman numerals I through IV with Stage IV being at the center point. Beginning from the real end of the spectrum, the first three stages are designated Stage Iar, Stage IIar, and Stage IIIar. Beginning from the virtual end of the spectrum, the first three stages are designated Stage Ivr, Stage IIvr, and Stage IIIvr. Note the the center has no subscript denoting a blend of both virtual reality and augmented

between.

Fig. 2. Stages in the ROTATOR Model

reality at the center.

The Reinforcing Stage (Stage Iar) represents the initial infusion of digital content into a real world end-user presentation. The concept of augmenting reality involves superimposing digital graphics, audio and other sensory enhancements onto realtime environments. An evolving field in an of itself, augmented reality goes beyond the static graphics technology of television where the graphics imposed do not change with the perspective (Tech-Faq, 2011). At the Reinforcing Stage, the augmenting content is presented to a broad user base. For virtual workspaces at this stage the focus is on presenting business content to a broad audience with minimal end-user interaction. The following characteristics are anticipated from virtual workspaces at the Reinforcing Stage (Stage Iar) of the model:

