Supply Chain Knowledge Networking Using a 3D Virtual World Environment

The specific aims of the paper are to highlight the use of 3D Virtual World (VW) tools for knowledge sharing (explicit and tacit knowledge) within a complex supply chain managed by a principal insurer. A set of web based tools, applications and exercises supporting the formation of communities of inquiry and promoting learning through social interaction is presented. These results are from a pilot study that was run over a 4 month period across an insurance supply chain, to explore how suppliers and the principal insurer shared knowledge using these tools. With the IoT (Internet of Things) generating multiple sources of 'streamed' data, the potential for using this type of data in a format that allows users to access data that is 'understandable' to them, is expanding. The paper focusses on one of these tools, a 3D web based Virtual World environment. Within the insurance industry, and specifically home insurers, a key priority is to have current and meaningful data on physical events and conditions available to their stakeholders and members of the supply chain. This is to enable them to make correct and timely decisions on claims, for example, weather related claims. Therefore an environment was designed and created, which used live streaming data from the United States Geological Survey, and a variety of VW tools and techniques to illustrate this data, and to orient it to make it relevant to the home claims teams. The use of social media tools such as Virtual Reality (VR) presents a new set of challenges to organizations that are not used to managing knowledge and information transfer in this way, and where lessons learnt from research endeavours into the use of VR/VW technology in knowledge management, are limited.