7,758 research outputs found
Modelling virtual urban environments
In this paper, we explore the way in which virtual reality (VR) systems are being broadened to encompass a wide array of virtual worlds, many of which have immediate applicability to understanding urban issues through geocomputation. Wesketch distinctions between immersive, semi-immersive and remote environments in which single and multiple users interact in a variety of ways. We show how suchenvironments might be modelled in terms of ways of navigating within, processes of decision-making which link users to one another, analytic functions that users have to make sense of the environment, and functions through which users can manipulate, change, or design their world. We illustrate these ideas using four exemplars that we have under construction: a multi-user internet GIS for Londonwith extensive links to 3-d, video, text and related media, an exploration of optimal retail location using a semi-immersive visualisation in which experts can explore such problems, a virtual urban world in which remote users as avatars can manipulate urban designs, and an approach to simulating such virtual worlds through morphological modelling based on the digital record of the entire decision-making process through which such worlds are built
Geoinformation, Geotechnology, and Geoplanning in the 1990s
Over the last decade, there have been some significant changes in the geographic information available to support those involved in spatial planning and policy-making in different contexts. Moreover, developments have occurred apace in the technology with which to handle geoinformation. This paper provides an overview of trends during the 1990s in data provision, in the technology required to manipulate and analyse spatial information, and in the domain of planning where applications of computer technology in the processing of geodata are prominent. It draws largely on experience in western Europe, and in the UK and the Netherlands in particular, and suggests that there are a number of pressures for a strengthened role for geotechnology in geoplanning in the years ahead
Asymmetric collaboration in virtual reality: A taxonomy of asymmetric interfaces for collaborative immersive learning
It has been established that Virtual Reality (VR) possesses certain qualities for educational purposes. These include the ability to place the learner at the location or in the perspective that the desired knowledge exists (e.g., travelling to another planet or shrinking to miniature size to observe internal anatomy). VR is also considered to contribute with enriching the curricular content, promoting active forms of learning, performance assessment of high validity, and provide the opportunity to teach applied academic knowledge in life-like situations. In regards to teaching mathematics and geometry, three key affordances have been identified; interactive manipulation and construction of three-dimensional geometry, comprehension of spatial relationships, and rectification of abstract problems. Safety protocols and practical guidelines from classroom experimentation have also been formulated by various research projects.
In this manuscript, asymmetrical immersive VR in education will be reviewed, as it is relevant for the narrative of learning situations where multiple students use the technology together. As an example, in mathematics, asymmetric VR could be used in contexts where unknown variables must be found in collaboration. The purpose of the narrative literature review is to gain a greater understanding of how asymmetric game mechanics has influence on communication and collaboration between learners. To map the dynamics of this type of learning activity, a taxonomy will be presented. Since VR is still under development in terms of hardware and software, it is important that the current and future technical possibilities are described in a conceptual manner, as well as conclude on optimal coupling between communication dynamics and collaboration mechanics
Collaborative block design task for assessing pair performance in virtual reality and reality
Collaborative problem solving is more important than ever as the problems we try to solve become increasingly complex. Meanwhile, personal and professional communication has moved from face-to-face to computer-mediated environments, but there is little understanding on how the characteristics of these environments affect the quality of interaction and joint problem solving. To develop this understanding, methods are needed for measuring success of collaboration. For this purpose, we created a collaborative block design task intended to evaluate and quantify pair performance. In this task, participants need to share information to complete visuospatial puzzles. Two versions of the task are described: a physical version and one that can be completed in virtual reality. A preliminary study was conducted with the physical version (N = 18 pairs) and the results were used to develop the task for a second study in virtual reality (N = 31 pairs). Performance measures were developed for the task, and we found that pair performance was normally distributed and positively associated with visuospatial skills, but not with other participant-specific background factors. The task specifications are released for the research community to apply and adapt in the study of computer-mediated social interaction.Peer reviewe
Conceitos e métodos para apoio ao desenvolvimento e avaliação de colaboração remota utilizando realidade aumentada
Remote Collaboration using Augmented Reality (AR) shows great
potential to establish a common ground in physically distributed
scenarios where team-members need to achieve a shared goal.
However, most research efforts in this field have been devoted to
experiment with the enabling technology and propose methods to
support its development. As the field evolves, evaluation and
characterization of the collaborative process become an essential,
but difficult endeavor, to better understand the contributions of AR.
In this thesis, we conducted a critical analysis to identify the main
limitations and opportunities of the field, while situating its maturity
and proposing a roadmap of important research actions. Next, a
human-centered design methodology was adopted, involving
industrial partners to probe how AR could support their needs
during remote maintenance. These outcomes were combined with
literature methods into an AR-prototype and its evaluation was
performed through a user study. From this, it became clear the
necessity to perform a deep reflection in order to better understand
the dimensions that influence and must/should be considered in
Collaborative AR. Hence, a conceptual model and a humancentered
taxonomy were proposed to foster systematization of
perspectives. Based on the model proposed, an evaluation
framework for contextualized data gathering and analysis was
developed, allowing support the design and performance of
distributed evaluations in a more informed and complete manner.
To instantiate this vision, the CAPTURE toolkit was created,
providing an additional perspective based on selected dimensions
of collaboration and pre-defined measurements to obtain “in situ”
data about them, which can be analyzed using an integrated
visualization dashboard. The toolkit successfully supported
evaluations of several team-members during tasks of remote
maintenance mediated by AR. Thus, showing its versatility and
potential in eliciting a comprehensive characterization of the added
value of AR in real-life situations, establishing itself as a generalpurpose
solution, potentially applicable to a wider range of
collaborative scenarios.Colaboração Remota utilizando Realidade Aumentada (RA)
apresenta um enorme potencial para estabelecer um entendimento
comum em cenários onde membros de uma equipa fisicamente
distribuídos precisam de atingir um objetivo comum. No entanto, a
maioria dos esforços de investigação tem-se focado nos aspetos
tecnológicos, em fazer experiências e propor métodos para apoiar
seu desenvolvimento. À medida que a área evolui, a avaliação e
caracterização do processo colaborativo tornam-se um esforço
essencial, mas difícil, para compreender as contribuições da RA.
Nesta dissertação, realizámos uma análise crítica para identificar
as principais limitações e oportunidades da área, ao mesmo tempo
em que situámos a sua maturidade e propomos um mapa com
direções de investigação importantes. De seguida, foi adotada uma
metodologia de Design Centrado no Humano, envolvendo
parceiros industriais de forma a compreender como a RA poderia
responder às suas necessidades em manutenção remota. Estes
resultados foram combinados com métodos da literatura num
protótipo de RA e a sua avaliação foi realizada com um caso de
estudo. Ficou então clara a necessidade de realizar uma reflexão
profunda para melhor compreender as dimensões que influenciam
e devem ser consideradas na RA Colaborativa. Foram então
propostos um modelo conceptual e uma taxonomia centrada no ser
humano para promover a sistematização de perspetivas. Com base
no modelo proposto, foi desenvolvido um framework de avaliação
para recolha e análise de dados contextualizados, permitindo
apoiar o desenho e a realização de avaliações distribuídas de
forma mais informada e completa. Para instanciar esta visão, o
CAPTURE toolkit foi criado, fornecendo uma perspetiva adicional
com base em dimensões de colaboração e medidas predefinidas
para obter dados in situ, que podem ser analisados utilizando o
painel de visualização integrado. O toolkit permitiu avaliar com
sucesso vários colaboradores durante a realização de tarefas de
manutenção remota apoiada por RA, permitindo mostrar a sua
versatilidade e potencial em obter uma caracterização abrangente
do valor acrescentado da RA em situações da vida real. Sendo
assim, estabelece-se como uma solução genérica, potencialmente
aplicável a uma gama diversificada de cenários colaborativos.Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Informátic
Group-Lasso on Splines for Spectrum Cartography
The unceasing demand for continuous situational awareness calls for
innovative and large-scale signal processing algorithms, complemented by
collaborative and adaptive sensing platforms to accomplish the objectives of
layered sensing and control. Towards this goal, the present paper develops a
spline-based approach to field estimation, which relies on a basis expansion
model of the field of interest. The model entails known bases, weighted by
generic functions estimated from the field's noisy samples. A novel field
estimator is developed based on a regularized variational least-squares (LS)
criterion that yields finitely-parameterized (function) estimates spanned by
thin-plate splines. Robustness considerations motivate well the adoption of an
overcomplete set of (possibly overlapping) basis functions, while a sparsifying
regularizer augmenting the LS cost endows the estimator with the ability to
select a few of these bases that ``better'' explain the data. This parsimonious
field representation becomes possible, because the sparsity-aware spline-based
method of this paper induces a group-Lasso estimator for the coefficients of
the thin-plate spline expansions per basis. A distributed algorithm is also
developed to obtain the group-Lasso estimator using a network of wireless
sensors, or, using multiple processors to balance the load of a single
computational unit. The novel spline-based approach is motivated by a spectrum
cartography application, in which a set of sensing cognitive radios collaborate
to estimate the distribution of RF power in space and frequency. Simulated
tests corroborate that the estimated power spectrum density atlas yields the
desired RF state awareness, since the maps reveal spatial locations where idle
frequency bands can be reused for transmission, even when fading and shadowing
effects are pronounced.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Signal Processin
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