Virtualizing Command Centers: How Headwall is Transitioning Frontlines to Mixed Reality with Varjo
Headwall enables command and control centers to transition from the confines of traditional video walls into the infinite pixel space of mixed reality. Their immersive solution allows operators to see more, react faster, and stay safer, whether they’re on the frontlines or managing operations from afar.
Headwall is a software company specializing in virtual and mixed reality tools for command control, security, and intelligence operations. Over the past decade, they have built traditional and advanced command centers for commercial and government clients globally, including the U.S. Department of Defense, academic institutions, and intelligence agencies.
Adapting Command Centers to Modern Challenges
A command center serves as the nerve center of military, emergency service and other critical operations where missions are coordinated, executed, and monitored in real-time. Its primary mission is to consolidate vast amounts of information and deliver it to key decision-makers in order for them to make timely, informed choices. Traditionally, these centers have been located in high-risk, hard-to-reach areas like conflict zones or disaster sites, relying on large, complex video walls to display critical data. The infrastructure has always been costly, cumbersome, and time-consuming to install.
Trends are now shifting towards reducing the physical footprint of command centers and relocating operations to safer environments in order to ensure that personnel can work effectively without being in harm’s way. In response to the further accelerated need for remote operation that emerged with the pandemic in March 2020, Headwall began developing a technology to bring the functionality of command center video walls into head-mounted displays (HMDs). With strong support from Varjo, they were able to arrive at a solution set to transform command centers across the globe.
Infinite Pixel Space as Your Infinite Canvas
Headwall’s Strata Command Center Suite is an HMD-based solution ideal for any environment that relies on large-scale video walls or display systems, such as military command centers, emergency operation centers, and network operation centers—anywhere that requires the visualization of vast amounts of information simultaneously.
Strata brings a powerful dual capability to the table. It can either mirror your existing real-world command center in virtual form or create a fully customizable, infinite pixel space workspace that seamlessly blends spatial data—like LIDAR scans and 3D geospatial maps—with real-time sensor inputs and live video feeds. This means that what was once displayed across massive video walls can now be instantly delivered to an operator’s VR/XR headset, streamlining operations and enabling flexible setups in even the smallest spaces. The suite’s integration with ArcGIS mapping software and other geographic information system (GIS) tools takes this to the next level, allowing operators to visualize data in proper context with exact dimensions.
“We're now at the forefront of advancing XR technology beyond labs and training environments, and driving it into mission-critical and operational use cases.”
Geoffrey Bund - CEO at Headwall
Cost-Effective and Safe Solution with Minimal Footprint
Strata command center streamlines deployment by dramatically cutting down time and costs compared to traditional setups, eliminating long contracting and construction processes. What once required 10+ video screens and hours or days to assemble can now be achieved in mere minutes with a Varjo headset and a PC.
The smaller, more convenient setup also reduces the space required, allowing for scalable setups that meet day-to-day needs and adapt as situations change. “We can give the full pixel space and situational awareness capability of a large format video wall at a fraction of the cost, size and footprint,“ says Geoffrey Bund, CEO at Headwall.
The solution also offers a compelling safety advantage by allowing operators to manage missions from remote, secure locations, keeping them far from danger. In the heat of critical decision-making, commanders not physically present in the command center have the same comprehensive situational awareness as those on the watch floor. Leadership can collaborate instantly, viewing and controlling the command center’s video wall from anywhere in the world and making rapid, informed decisions when it matters most.
Elevated Situational Awareness
The virtual command center's immersive setting helps operators focus on critical tasks by blocking out distractions and providing an accurate perception of spatial environments.
Whether it’s mapping out surveillance camera positions, analyzing lines of sight, or understanding building layouts and vehicle movements, navigating a 3D environment becomes fast, intuitive, and far more effective than traditional 2D displays.
“Mixed reality is intrinsically three dimensional and is able to deliver natural spatial awareness better than any other medium. The feedback from the Geospatial community is unanimous that mixed reality is a better way to understand the spatial relationships and dimensions of assets, buildings, terrain and anything else that exists in physical space,” Bund says.
This is especially valuable for commanders or coordinators who need to visualize the position of their teams within a building. Operators can even monitor unmanned surface vessels, such as drone boats and aerial vehicles, and switch to seeing the world through the vehicle’s eyes, all from the comfort of the immersive command center.
Seeing It All
When paired with Varjo’s mixed reality, Headwall’s Strata solution takes the experience to the next level by seamlessly blending real-world imagery with synthetic content. Through low-latency, high-resolution video passthrough, operators can interact with their environment naturally, see their colleagues and hands in real-time, and effortlessly use tools like phones and keyboards.
“Even with first-time users of mixed reality, the confidence, assurance, and calmness that comes over them when they realize that they can see everything around them is palpable,” Bund praises.
“Enough that it really adds value and enough that we at Headwall have decided that we won’t deploy anything that doesn’t have mixed reality.”
Redefining Command Visualization with Varjo
For most of Strata’s users, precision is everything—they’re analyzing detailed text, interpreting complex map symbology, and making critical decisions based on the visuals. In these demanding environments, having the highest resolution headset isn’t just a luxury, it’s essential, allowing operators to perform with the clarity and accuracy their work demands.
“Ultimately, what’s most important in an HMD is having the highest resolution, the highest brightness contrast ratio, the best color replication, and the best video passthrough. Being able to display that on the Varjo headset and know that our customers are getting the highest quality visual information is vital,” Bund explains.
Beyond delivering the highest quality visuals at the lowest cost per pixel, Varjo headsets can ensure TAA-compliant offline use for secure environments. This level of security gives Strata users peace of mind, paving the way for broader adoption in the future.
“The existence of an XR-4 Secure Edition headset is very important. It allows us to put this device forward even in the most sensitive environments and helps us shed some of the concern around new technology in secure spaces. The fact that the XR-4 is available from a NATO country is of central importance to our user base.”
