The city has launched an effort to become a global leader in developing virtual reality, by funding a lab in Brooklyn that is projected to create more than 500 jobs over the next 10 years.

Virtual reality is not just about gaming. Put on a headset, and you can navigate city neighborhoods to access all kinds of information about them.

"We’re getting the results of records of 311 calls that people have made for the areas that you point to. You could also see tweets that are geo-referenced from those areas, and Yelp restaurant reviews from the areas you point to as well," Columbia University Engineering Professor Steve Feiner said.

It's the kind of application city officials hope can be developed at RLab in the old Brooklyn Navy Yard, the first city-funded center for virtual and augmented reality in the country.

"There’s been 125 percent job growth in VR and AR in the last couple years in New York City. We want to keep up that trajectory," said Julie Menin, the commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment.

The city spent $5.6 million to create the tech hub to support an ecosystem of researchers and engineers, students and professors, entrepreneurs and investors. When fully renovated, it will house more than 16,000 square feet of lab space.

"This technology has the potential to really transform every major sector of New York City’s economy. It’s estimated that the industry will be at $2.2 trillion market in 2035," said Ana Ariño, the Chief Strategy Officer of the NYC Economic Development Corporation.

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering will oversee RLab operations with other educational institutions including Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY), and The New School.

While VR/AR technology is already being used in art, architecture, gaming, and graphic design, experts at the center predict every industry that uses computers will experiment in VR/AR over the next decade.

"Your doctor can use it to speed up their data entry when they’re doing a visit with you. People in financial services can use it to just get a better snapshot of what’s going on," said Digital Media Professor Luke Dubois with the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

"One of the advantages of virtual reality is you can simulate any environment, so anything you need to be trained on we can create a scenario and put you in it," said Leron Bentovin, who is the CEO of The Glimpse Group.

The RLab lab is located on the third floor of Building 22 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The city will be leasing space for free, one more inducement to create a pipeline of talent and the next wave of technology.