Virtual Bird Table
📋 Project Overview
The Virtual Bird Table is a military briefing and planning tool that lets distributed teams visualise and manipulate units on a shared map in real time. Built for austere networks, it replaces manual, printed tables with a collaborative XR/VR experience, so commanders and staff can plan from anywhere in the world without the need to be co-located.
Client: British Ministry of Defence
🔧 Tech Stack
- Frontend: Unity (XR, VR, Windows Standalone)
- Backend: .NET, Docker, AWS
- SDKs & Integrations: ArcGIS Unity SDK, MilSymbol Server
🔑 Key Features
- Distributed Command
Real-time, multi-user briefing & planning from anywhere in the world. Eliminates the need to co-locate. - Real-time Accurate Avatars
See teammates’ head abd hand movements in real-time high fidelity. - Interactive Map
Pan, zoom, and scale a shared map with 2D or 3D terrain and buildings. - Unit Symbology & Manipulation
Drag-and-drop NATO-standard units to simulate complex miltary scenarios. - Live Annotations & Layers
Annotate the map using free-hand drawing and resizable shapes. Toggle grouped elements on the map (e.g. units, drawings, shapes) to avoid visual clutter. - State Persistence
Save/load map states (position, scale, units) to switch between scenarios instantly. - Austere-Network Optimisation
Custom serialisation and compression to minimise bandwidth usage over low-rate links.
👨 My role
- Lead Software Engineer
- Lead the technical development of the project.
- Defined the software architecture and tech stack for the project.
- Provided hiring input, mentorship, code reviews, knowledge sharing and nurtured team members’ growth.
- Managed the day-to-day processes for the project (sprints, backlog refinement).
- Collaborated with clients and non-technical stakeholders to define project scope, prioritisation, processes and the roadmap.
- Liased with clients regarding feedback, demos and future iterations.