Edinburgh Napier University

  This paper discusses our experiences of using a
range of methods and techniques to measure the sense of
place in real and virtual environments. The paper
presents a discussion on presence and how this is linked
directly with our sense of place. From here we discuss
the development of ‘The Place Probe’ a bundle of
measurement techniques that allows for the direct
comparison of real and virtual scenes. We show how the
data gathered from the probe can be used to inform the
design of virtual places. The whole approach is
predicated on the premise that by understanding place
we can improve our sense of presence in virtual
environments.