PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – University of Southern California and army researchers are using virtual reality technology to help U.S. troops.

Kyle McCullough is the lead programmer for the One World Terrain project. The project is all about creating 3-D virtual models of unfamiliar areas quickly.

“Actually I probably spend too much time in here. It’s a lot of fun,” said McCullough.

The One World Terrain Project is part of the Institute for Creative Technologies. It’s a USC-affiliated research center holding several military contracts. The project started in 2013.

What they create will one day be in the hands of soldiers. They will be able to plan routes where they won’t be seen by the enemy and organize fast escapes even if they have never set foot on the land where they will be fighting.

“It’s awesome to be in a field like this where we put on the Hololens we’re looking at 3-D terrain. It’s very Minority Report like,” said Lieutenant Colonel Dylan Morelle, one of the project’s leaders with the U.S. Army.

The Tactical Decision Kit is one of the project’s creations. Everything fits in one backpack: a drone, a tablet, and a laptop. Besides the software, most of the contents you could get at Best Buy for about $4,500. Using the TDK in less than 24 hours a trained soldier can return with incredibly detailed virtual simulations of a completely uncharted territory.

The One World Terrain project is fully funded by the military. Lieutenant Colonel Morelle says just one project-related contract costed the army $94 million.

“When we talk about savings we’re also talking about the potential savings in life with the soldiers and their readiness,” said Lieutenant Colonel Morelle.

Every day McCullough collaborates with military officers.

“It’s incredibly time consuming, but it’s really pleasurable and I’ve gotten to meet a lot of really amazing people,” said McCullough.

McCullough works in a virtual world. The difference he is making, however, is very real.