Page 50 - UN Executive Briefing on Unlocking the potential of virtual worlds and the metaverse for the Sustainable Development Goals

UN Executive Briefing on Unlocking the potential of virtual worlds and
the metaverse for the Sustainable Development Goals

Annex 2: List of definitions

Artificial Intelligence (AI) [b-ITU-T M.3080]: Computerized system that uses cognition to
understand information and solve problems.

Artificial Intelligence [b-ISO/IEC 2382-28]: An interdisciplinary field, usually regarded as a
branch of computer science, dealing with models and systems for the performance of functions
generally associated with human intelligence such as reasoning and learning.

Augmented Reality (AR) [b-ITU-T P.1320]: An environment containing real and virtual sensory
components. The augmented reality continuum runs from virtual content that is clearly overlaid
on a real environment (assisted reality) to virtual content that is seamlessly integrated and
interacts with a real environment (mixed reality).

Digital twin [b-ITU-T Y.4600]: A digital representation of an object of interest.

Internet of things (IoT) [b-ITU-T Y.4000]: A global infrastructure for the information society,
enabling advanced services by interconnecting (physical and virtual) things based on existing
and evolving interoperable information and communication technologies.

Interoperability [b-ITU-T Y.101]: The ability of two or more systems or applications to exchange
information and to mutually use the information that has been exchanged.

Mixed Reality (MR) [b-ITU-T P.1320]: An environment containing real and virtual components
that are seamlessly integrated and interact with each other in a natural way (one end of the
augmented reality continuum).

Virtual Reality (VR) [b-ITU-T P.1320]: An environment that is fully generated by digital means.
To qualify as virtual reality, the virtual environment should differ from the local environment.

Virtual World [b-ISO/IEC 18039:2019]: Virtual environment, spatial organization of multiple
virtual objects, potentially including global behaviour.

metaverse [b-ITU]: An integrative ecosystem of virtual worlds offering immersive experiences
to users, that modify pre-existing and create new value from economic, environmental, social,
and cultural perspectives. (NOTE – A metaverse can be virtual, augmented, representative of,
or associated with, the physical world.)

Spatial Computing [b-Hackl]: Evolving form of computing that blends the physical world
and virtual experiences, using a wide range of technologies to enable novel human-machine
interactions and communication; and new machine learning pathways.

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