SimuSurvey is a virtual surveying instrument purpose-built for survey training. SimuSurvey X supersedes SimuSurvey, the original version that was developed by the authors for visualizing and simulating surveying scenarios in a computer-generated virtual environment.

The concept of SimuSurvey has already been demonstrated to be successful in a user test of 323 students. User feedback in our previous research indicated that user interface design and deployment were two of the major drawbacks in the original SimuSurvey.

Addressing these concerns, we transferred the SimuSurvey X system to the XNA game engine. It supports high-quality real-time rendering and a versatile user controller. Additionally, since XNA can be run on an Xbox gaming console, the deployment of SimuSurvey X is easier and more versatile.

With these improvements to the interface and deployment, we believe that SimuSurvey X is a significant step closer to meeting the needs of educators and learners in the area of survey training. We have recently implemented version X at three vocational schools to obtain feedback from teachers and students. A comparison of the original version and this new version also has been made to measure the effectiveness of the enhancements.