With the rapid development of information technology, the amount and complexity of scientific data increase exponentially every day. The data explosion has led to very large detailed datasets and the amount of detail in these datasets continues to grow. Nowadays, the challenge is to harness the power of knowledge hidden in the collage of scientific data.Visualisation technologies empower users to perceive important patterns in the data, identify areas that need further scrutiny and make sophisticated decisions. However, looking at information is only the first step in understanding. For some domains, it is unclear what the features of interest are and how to define them in such a way that they can be detected. Many scientific discovery tasks can only be solved in interactive ways: by combining information analysis tools, advanced visualisation techniques and intuitive user interfaces. The importance of human interaction and perception cannot be ignored in the field of scientific computing and data analysis.Interactive exploration systems allow people to examine scientific data and share obtained knowledge with, and through, information technology. These systems should be easy to use and not require sophisticated computer skills, as most of users are rather domain-specific experts than computer scientists. To increase users' abilities to explore the data and better understand the results of experiments based on extensive calculations, new scientific methods need to be developed and applied.This special issue combines papers that discuss how modern visualisation and interaction techniques can augment the information analysis cycle from the user's perspective. The collected manuscripts are updated and expanded versions of papers presented at a series of
Abstract. We discuss some recent advances made to our Virtual Reality system which includes touch feedback in a networked environment. Some issues which affect the realisation and implementation of the Hapto-Acoustic Virtual Reality Environment and human-computer interaction (HCI) are mentioned, as well as networking issues. Our system is called a "haptic workbench" which combines 3D graphics visualisation, touch (haptics) and audio interaction with a computer generated model. The aim is to produce a semi-immersive 3D environment, experienced in real time by the user. Networking two or more systems makes it possible to collaborate in the virtual space and achieve a sense of perceived virtual presence. Recent additions to the system in the form of real time video with audio is demonstrated and shown to enhance the level of virtual presence in the networked environment. Such face to face communication with the remote user in addition to haptic and audio collaboration with the virtual model adds to the sense of presence between users. Two methods of sending video over the internet are compared and our example implementation is described. These additions make it possible to add value in learning scenarios and opens up the possibility of increasing participation during a training session.
Digital Image Computing: Techniques and Applications is the premier biennial conference in Australia on the topics of image processing and image analysis. This seventh edition of the proceedings has seen an unprecedented level of submission, on such diverse areas as: Image processing; Face recognition; Segmentation; Registration; Motion analysis; Medical imaging; Object recognition; Virtual environments; Graphics; Stereo-vision; and Video analysis. These two volumes contain all the 108 accepted papers and five invited talks that were presented at the conference. These two volumes provide the Australian and international imaging research community with a snapshot of current theoretical and practical developments in these areas. They are of value to any engineer, computer scientist, mathematician, statistician or student interested in these matters.
Our hapto-acoustic virtual environment we call the "haptic-workbench" [1], has remained unchanged since 1994. Recent changes in available projector hardware technology now means that the system can be modified to address some inherent limitations in terms of user participation. In addition, the proposed changes are now more viable, whereas only six months ago such modifications were prohibitively expensive or not possible. Up to now the system has used active stereo for 3D graphics visualization but this implementation limits effective participation to one person. The new dual purpose environment is a more versatile system which may be used in one of two ways; a) single user mode or b) large volume display mode where many users can simultaneously participate. The semiimmersive attributes of the former haptic-workbench are retained in single user mode and when in large volume display mode the system allows multiple user involvement and interaction. The new dual purpose multi-user environment removes some of the restrictions which effectively limit interaction to one person operating in a narrow viewing space, is not limited to rooms needing special seating or lighting and addresses the increasing need for a sense of presence and interaction with many persons simultaneously. Groups of up to 30 can now experience the collaborative virtual environment (CVE) [2] rather than single user at a time and when networked allows the system to be used for educational interaction in a classroom setting with the possibility of similar numbers at each end. Methodology and some traps and pitfalls are discussed in terms of differing technologies used in generating the real time 3D stereo models and the realisation of the new system is given.
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