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March 5, 2026 - GTU Office of Press and Public Relations As part of the MARTEST Project, a disaster awareness training program using virtual reality (VR) and metaverse technologies are conducted at Kocaeli AFAD.
Coordinated by the Marmara Application and Research Center for Disaster-Resilient Structures (MARTEST) at Gebze Technical University (GTU) and led by faculty members from the GTU Department of Civil Engineering, a training program was conducted at Kocaeli AFAD under the Japan JICA-supported SATREPS-MARTEST Project. The training took place on February 26, 2026, at the Kocaeli Provincial Directorate of AFAD, aiming to contribute to the creation of more resilient structures and communities.
As a multi-stakeholder research and implementation project, MARTEST’s Working Group 4 organized the program to address urban disaster risk mitigation and the development of effective disaster training programs. Participants included AFAD personnel, GTU faculty members, and students.
The training program was prepared with contributions from Prof. Selçuk Toprak, Asst. Prof. Ceren Özer-Sözdinler, Research Assistant Emel Sadıkoğlu, and Research Assistant Oğuz Dal from GTU, Prof. Mayumi Sakamoto and PhD students Risu Ando and Kyohei Yamaguchi from Hyogo University, Assoc. Prof. Maki Koyama from Gifu University, and Sho Amemiya, Project Coordinator of SATREPS-MARTEST.
During the program, participants experienced a virtual reality (VR) simulation and 360-degree video application replicating the shaking during the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes across different cities and building floors. These applications aimed to raise awareness of in-building risks, necessary precautions, and measures such as furniture anchoring during earthquakes.
In addition, an educational game developed in a metaverse environment was demonstrated. The game teaches participants the correct behaviors before, during, and after an earthquake and provides interactive scenarios to practice appropriate responses.
Interactive workshops, such as earthquake kit preparation and first-aid games for children, were also shared with participants to further enhance disaster awareness. At the end of the program, a survey was conducted to assess participants’ awareness during earthquake scenarios.
Through this training program, MARTEST aims to increase disaster awareness and support the integration of innovative technologies into disaster risk mitigation and training processes. |
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