Before booking a hotel room or scheduling a flight for a vacation getaway, you may soon be able to take a "virtual vacation" and preview your selected vacation spot.

Old Dominion's Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center has teamed with Mariah Vision3, a manufacturer of entertainment simulators, to develop an interactive SkyTour program that will allow people to "tour" major destination areas prior to departure. The soon-to-be-developed SkyTour helipod will offer a self-piloted virtual flight to major attractions and locales in Hampton Roads. A "pilot" and six passengers will be able to step into the SkyTour helipod and examine office buildings, industrial parks, hotels, cultural attractions, beaches and other places of interest in Hampton Roads. The Sky Tour program is designed for tourists, new companies and those relocating to the area.

The simulation technology can also be used for other cities throughout the country, including "hot spots" in Florida, said Tom Mastaglio, executive director of VMASC.

"Our goal is to build a 'virtual vacation,' where a person can pick a location, physically get into an interactive simulator and navigate through a virtual environment," said Mastaglio. "You could preview parts of Florida or any other location, and look at the hotels, the beaches and other attractions up close. It will be almost like an interactive brochure."

The SkyTours simulation technology is more advanced than other simulators, such as the "Back to the Future" ride at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., said Mastaglio. Those simulators use motion and video to give the illusion that you are "going through the film." The SkyTours simulation will have film and motion, but also interactivity, which allows the "pilot" to control the simulation by choosing where to go and changing the scene.

Similar to Nintendo and Sony's Playstation games, which allow for interactivity but use a computer-generated environment, the new SkyTour program will feature a more realistic environment by combining film or video, motion and interactivity.

"The Mariah Vision3 and VMASC alliance emphasizes the multitude of diverse interactive opportunities, and we are delighted that this technology is being developed," said Suffolk Mayor Thomas Underwood.

Although the development of this simulation technology is still under way, its uses could be endless, Mastaglio said. State tourism departments could use it to help increase tourism and give tourists a preview of a particular area; realtors could use it to sell real estate for those relocating or interested in buying property in a particular area; or large amusement parks could use it to provide a preview of the park at the front gate to help visitors select where to go for the day.