HCC: III: Small: MyDome - Defining the Computational and Cognitive Potential of Interactive Simulations in an Immersive Dome Environment

MyDome项目将把用于群体互动的3D虚拟世界带入天文馆和便携式圆顶。计算机技术的进步使天文馆的圆顶体验从星场和指针演示演变为覆盖整个半球形屏幕的高分辨率电影。该项目将进一步将圆顶剧院体验转变为交互式沉浸式冒险。MyDome将开发场景，观众可以沿着三条调查线探索：(1)通过考古重建的过去，(2)在活森林中的现在，(3)在空间站或火星殖民地的未来。这些场景将推动技术在呈现不同复杂性的可信环境方面的极限，并将提供以人为中心的计算的研究数据，因为它适用于探索虚拟环境时的查询和群体互动。该项目建议吸引大部分人口，特别强调服务不足和参与不足，但非常精通技术的青少年学习者。研究的问题是：1。什么是最吸引人、最有教育意义的环境？2. 哪些屏幕上的工具和演示技术将促进交互？3. 在便携式探索巨蛋中使用单台电脑，单台投影仪镜面投影系统的体验有什么限制？4. 探索半球形虚拟环境最适合哪些受众？5. 对于单个学习者来说，受众的规模能有多大且仍然有效？什么技术可以为更多的人提供一定程度的体验控制，群体互动是增强还是减少了不同个体的参与？6. 在提高科学和气候意识方面可以发展什么样的参与？经历过去的文明是否会让你对其他文化更感兴趣？虚拟森林中的辅助学习是否能增进与真实森林的联系和理解？虚拟模型太空体验是否激发了学生和市民对太空探索的兴趣，或者增加了对地球生物圈的了解？该项目的更广泛影响是：(1)提高公众对过去文明中人类与环境关系的认识和理解，从而造福社会，今天？森林和气候变化，以及未来太空和火星上潜在的文明；(2)增加非正式科学博物馆对精通技术的青少年观众的吸引力；(3)显著提高年轻人对学校科学和工程课程和职业的认识。合作伙伴代表了地理上不同的受众和服务不足的人群，包括农村（新罕布什尔大学）、少数民族学生（休斯顿自然科学博物馆）和经济困难的社区（卡内基自然历史博物馆）。强有力的评估将为每个节目的制作和完善提供信息，并将提供有关交互式穹顶环境中学习潜力和每种不同类型调查的最佳受众规模的所需数据。

The MyDome project will bring 3D virtual worlds for group interaction into planetaria and portable domes. Advances in computing have evolved the planetarium dome experience from a star field and pointer presentation to a high-resolution movie covering the entire hemispherical screen. The project will further transform the dome theater experience into an interactive immersive adventure. MyDome will develop scenarios in which the audience can explore along three lines of inquiry: (1) the past with archeological reconstructions, (2) the present in a living forest, and (3) the future in a space station or colony on Mars. These scenarios will push the limits of technology in rendering believable environments of differing complexity and will also provide research data on human-centered computing as it applies to inquiry and group interactions while exploring virtual environments.The project proposes to engage a large portion of the population, with a special emphasis on the underserved and under-engaged but very tech-savvy teenage learner. Research questions addressed are: 1. What are the most engaging and educational environments to explore in full-dome? 2. What on-screen tools and presentation techniques will facilitate interactions? 3. What are the limitations for this experience using a single computer, single projector mirror projection system as found in the portable Discovery Dome? 4. Which audiences are best served by exploration of virtual hemispherical environments? 5. How large can the audience be and still be effective for the individual learner? What techniques can be used to provide more people with a level of control of the experience and does the group interaction enhance or diminish the engagement of different individuals? 6. What kind of engagement can be developed in producing scientific and climate awareness? Does experiencing past civilizations lead to more interest in other cultures? Does supported learning in the virtual forest lead to greater connection to and understanding of the real forest? Does the virtual model space experience excite students and citizens about space exploration or increase the understanding of the Earth's biosphere?The broader impacts of the project are (1) benefits to society from increasing public awareness and understanding of human relationships with the environment in past civilizations, today?s forests and climate change, and potential future civilizations in space and on Mars; (2) increasing the appeal of informal science museums to the tech-savvy teenage audience, and (3) significant gains in awareness of young people in school courses and careers in science and engineering. The partners represent a geographically diverse audience and underserved populations that include rural (University of New Hampshire), minority students (Houston Museum of Natural Science) and economically-distressed neighborhoods (Carnegie Museum of Natural History). Robust evaluation will inform each program as it is produced and refined, and will provide the needed data on the potential for learning in the interactive dome environment and on the optimal audience size for each different type of inquiry.