MRI-R2: Development of the Next-Generation CAVE Virtual Environment (NG-CAVE)

“该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。“提案编号：09- 59053 PI（s）：约翰逊，安德鲁E.; Brown，Maxine，Leigh，Jason，Peterka，TomInstitution：University of Illinois -芝加哥大学 MRI/器械：Dev.下一代CAVE虚拟环境（NG-CAVE）项目建议：该项目开发下一代CAVE（NG-CAVE），支持当地机构的15个研究项目。这些项目涉及多个领域（天文学、天体物理学、艺术、生物工程、地球科学、高性能计算、国土安全、神经科学、康复等）准备使用NG-CAVE来满足他们的大型可视化需求。 正如网络基础设施提供了更好地访问更大数量和各种数据，从数据存储系统，在线仪器和/或主要计算资源，如TeraGrid和未来的Petascale设施，先进的可视化仪器作为望远镜或显微镜的目镜，使研究人员能够在网络空间中查看他们的数据，并更好地管理访问和分析数据的规模和复杂性。NG-CAVE就是这样一个目镜，为研究人员提供了功能强大且易于使用的信息丰富的仪器，以支持网络基础设施支持的科学发现。对于该机构的电子可视化实验室（EVL）来说，NG-CAVE代表了数十年开发沉浸式环境的经验和专业知识的顶峰，从1992年的房间大小的CAVE虚拟环境，到1994年的办公室大小的ImmersaDesk，再到2000年的GeoWall，以及最近的超高分辨率LamdaVision拼接显示墙和自动立体Varrier拼接显示墙。每一代新的可视化工具都为科学界提供了一个或多个高级功能（更高的分辨率、无障碍的立体观看、多千兆位连接和直观的用户界面），更好地耦合全球科学虚拟组织，更好地将科学工作场所与全球分布式网络基础设施相结合。NG-CAVE提供了一种替代方法，通过使用新的近距离网络，无缝平板LCD技术，增强了微偏振，而不是传统的投影技术。净效果是一种新的CAVE，具有与人类视觉相匹配的3D敏锐度，可以近乎无缝地缩放到甚至更高的分辨率，与基于投影的方法相比价格实惠，几乎不需要维护，可以用于2D和3D立体观看，并且可以支持多个同时观看者。该仪器还为计算机科学研究在大规模数据可视化，人机交互，虚拟现实和高速网络的交叉点开辟了新的机会，更广泛的影响：该项目提供了最先进的设备，机会和监督，以加强本科生和研究生的研究和教育。新的NG-CAVE支持计算机科学，艺术与设计和生物医学科学部门的10个课程。它为科学界提供高度集成的虚拟现实协作环境;它能够与工业界合作，将新技术商业化，以促进科学和工程的发展，并继续与学术界和工业界许多世界上最好的领域科学家和计算机科学家建立伙伴关系，他们很容易成为新仪器的早期采用者，并在毕业后为学生提供暑期实习和工作。 因此，这一工具使美国能够保持其在高性能计算方面的领导地位，并有助于推动复杂的全球问题（例如，环境、健康、国土安全、经济等），这反过来又有利于整个社会。

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." Proposal #: 09-59053PI(s): Johnson, Andrew E.; Brown, Maxine, Leigh, Jason, Peterka, TomInstitution: University of Illinois - Chicago Title: MRI/Dev.: Dev. of the Next Generation CAVE Virtual Environment (NG-CAVE)Project Proposed:This project, developing the Next Generation CAVE (NG-CAVE), supports 15 research projects from local institutions. These projects in multiple domains (Astronomy, Astrophysics, Art, Bioengineering, Earth Science, High Performance Computing, Homeland Security, Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, etc.) are poised to use NG-CAVE for their large visualization needs. Just as cyberinfrastructure provides better access to greater volumes and varieties of data, from data storage systems, online instrumentation, and/or major computational resources like the TeraGrid and future Petascale facility, advanced visualization instruments serve as the eyepieces of a telescope or microscope, enabling researchers to view their data in cyberspaces and to better manage the increased scale and complexity of accessing and analyzing the data. NG-CAVE is such an eyepiece, providing researchers with powerful and easy to use information-rich instrumentation in support of cyberinfrastructure-enabled scientific discovery. It provides users with the ability to see 3D content at nearly 106 Megapixels.For the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the institution, NG-CAVE represents the culmination of decades of experience and expertise developing immersive environments, from the room-sized CAVE virtual environment in 1992, to the office-sized ImmersaDesk in 1994, to the GeoWall in 2000, and the more recent ultra-high-resolution LamdaVision tiled-display wall and autostereoscopic Varrier-tiled-display wall. Each new generation of visualization instrumentation has provided scientific communities with one or more advanced features (higher resolution, unencumbered stereoscopic viewing, multi-Gigabit connectivity, and intuitive user interfaces), better coupling worldwide scientific virtual organizations, and better integrating scientific workplaces with globally distributed cyberinfrastructure.NG-CAVE provides an alternative approach to constructing CAVEs by using new near-seamless flat LCD technology augmented with micropolarization, rather than traditional projection technologies. The net effect is a new CAVE that has 3D acuity to match human vision, can be scaled near-seamless to even greater resolution, is affordable compared to projection-based approaches, requires little maintenance, can be used for both 2D and 3D stereoscopic viewing, and can support multiple simultaneous viewers. The instrument also opens new opportunities in computer science research at the intersection of large-scale data visualization, human computer interaction, virtual reality, and high-speed networking,Broader Impacts: This project provides state-of-the-art equipment, opportunities, and supervision to enhance undergraduate and graduate research and education. The new NG-CAVE supports 10 classes in Computer Science, Art and Design, and Biomedical Science departments. It provides scientific communities with highly integrated virtual-reality collaboration environments; it enables working with industry to commercialize new technologies for the advancement of science and engineering and to continue ongoing partnerships with many of the world's best domain scientists and computer scientists in academia and industry, who readily become early adopters of new instrumentation and who provide students with summer internships and jobs upon graduation. Thus, this instrument enables US to maintain its leadership position in high performance computing and contributes in the advancement of complex global issues (e.g., environment, health, homeland security, economy, etc.), which, in turn, benefit society as a whole.