RAPID: Virtual Reality Cyberinfrastructure Enabling Data Visualization, Exploration, and Collaboration Among Distant Individuals

2019冠状病毒病大流行给天文学研究的许多领域带来了障碍，特别是需要使用共享设施并由科学家之间的互动来解释复杂的多维数据的主题。普渡大学的一个研究团队将加速虚拟现实（VR）数据可视化平台Collaborative Astronomy VR的生产，该平台利用了高性能消费硬件和基于云的多用户服务器架构的最新进展。建立这个平台将在全球范围内连接因COVID-19限制而孤立的个人，并提供虚拟环境，使他们能够积极参与复杂的数据和表示。分布式应用程序将针对超新星爆炸和天文学中其他主题的沉浸式可视化进行定制，但在其他需要可视化和与3D数据环境交互的领域中具有潜在的灵活性。这项工作将有助于研究生论文，并为本科生提供机会，他们将积极帮助开发和展示这项技术。还将创建一个用于物理和天文学课程的小型教学实验室。该平台将适合于可视化，探索和协作从天文物体和现象的观测和模拟中获得的数据。灵活的数据摄取管道将支持天文数据常见的多维格式，并将具有清理和优化程序，以确保数据保真度和流畅的可视化。 该项目满足了科学家通过可扩展的多用户连接和广泛的平台兼容性与远程个人协作导航复杂的多维数据的迫切需求。协作天文学虚拟现实能够快速直观地探索多维数据，同时在线连接的多个参与者之间进行动态缩放、旋转和视角转换。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced obstacles to many areas of astronomical research, especially topics requiring access to shared facilities and driven by interaction between scientists to interpret complex multi-dimensional data. A research team at Purdue University will accelerate production of the Virtual Reality (VR) data visualization platform Collaborative Astronomy VR, which leverages recent advancements in high-powered consumer hardware and cloud-based multi-user server architecture. Building this platform will globally connect individuals isolated by COVID-19 restrictions and provide virtual environments where they can actively engage with complex data and representations. The distributed application will be tailored for immersive visualization of supernova explosions and other topics in astronomy, but will have flexibility for potential use in other fields requiring visualization and interaction with 3D data environments. The work will contribute to a graduate student thesis and provide opportunities for undergraduate students, who will actively help develop and showcase the technology. A small instructional lab for physics and astronomy classes will also be created.The platform will be appropriate to visualize, explore, and collaborate with data made from observations and simulations of astronomical objects and phenomena. The flexible data ingestion pipeline will support multi-dimensional formats common to astronomical data, and will have clean up and optimization procedures to ensure data fidelity and fluid visualizations. This project fulfills the urgent need for scientists to navigate complex, multi-dimensional data collaboratively with distant individuals via scalable multiuser connectivity and broad platform compatibility. Collaborative Astronomy VR enables rapid and intuitive exploration of multidimensional data with on-the-fly scaling, rotation, and changing of perspective among many participants connected online simultaneously.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.