Geog 463: GIS Workshop

1. Geog 463: GIS Workshop May 22, 2006 Virtual Reality and GIS

2. Outlines • Defining virtual reality (VR) • Technologies for VR • VR, Geography, and GIS • Applications of VR in GIS

3. 1. Defining virtual reality

4. Virtual Reality for Entertainment

5. Virtual Reality based Training for driver, pilot, and astronauts

6. The Matrix is the Movie about VR

7. Have you ever thought about ...? • ‘I wish I could experience the environment as if I were there without having to be there’ • Conventional 2D map does not offer a ‘real’ sense of being there

8. Learning Geography using VR • Virtual terrain • http://www.truflite.com/images/MonumentValley.mpg • Virtual cities • http://www.ust.ucla.edu/ustweb/Projects/PROJECTS/videos/FirstStreetW_exist.wmv

9. Google Earth

10. Google moves into virtual worlds • … “Consumers could fly into the virtual New York, go shopping in a virtual Times Square, get past the velvet rope at a virtual Studio 54 and chat with an avatar dressed as Andy Warhol. They could plan their next trip to the real New York in meticulous detail, become a detective in a Gotham noir, browse an apartment for sale, or jump into a taxi and play a driving game” …- Chris Taylor From CNNMoney May 12, 2006

11. If you are engaged with a representation to the point where your body is responding voluntarily to it as though it were the real world, then you are probably dealing with virtual reality • Degree of engagement (or immersion)

12. Any given set of data can be converted to many possible pictures. Each such transformation may be said to represent some facet of the data, which one really wants to examine as if it were a geological specimen, turning it over in the hand, looking from many points of view, touching and scratching - Tobler, 1979: 105

13. Compare how much these are worth, respectively • It is said that a picture is worth a thousand word; how about these? • Digital picture • 3D digital picture • Interactive 3D digital picture

14. Let us consider different ways to represent the Earth’s topography • Remotely sensed image • 2D contour map (e.g. topographic map) • 3D perspective map (e.g. block diagram) • Fly-through 3D perspective map

15. Representing urban environment… • Remotely sensed image • 2D map • 3D built form • Walk-through the urban environment

16. VR can be seen as the uppermost level in a hierarchy that starts with the traditional two-dimensional map Dynamic/interactive 2.5D/3D Static 2.5D Static 2D

17. Presenting known fact … • The process of glacier movement in geological time Dynamic/interactive 3D of this map

18. Simulating unknown event … • Effects of sea level rising

19. VR constructs the artificial environment, whether it’s past, present, or future in a way that it feels like real • What would be advantage of constructing the artificial environment? • Advantage of creating the artificial world would be that you can manipulate the world unlike the real world • Assessing the visual impact of different planning schemes and on enabling a group of planners to communicate through the number of applications

20. Characterizing VR • Immersion • Offers realistic view of the phenomenon • High dimensionality • 3D, and time • Dynamics • Movement of objects, temporal elements • High interactivity • User can control and manipulate objects • Feeding sensory input to the user • Utilize multiple human sensory perceptions

21. Motivations for VR • “The non-scientific audience … wants abstraction minimized, information content maximized… with the whole package digestible and non-threatening. This suggests the use of a visual realism approach that shows information…” – Ian Bishop (1994) • VR can be seen as an effort to visualize and interact with the data through a very intuitive interface

22. Potentials for VR • Advances in data capture technologies • Satellite image draped over DEM • DEM is collected directly from LiDAR • GPS allows us to collect in ubiquitous manner • Increasing computing power and data storage • 3D graphic is widespread • Large data set can be processed quickly • Price of data storage is rapidly decreasing

23. What is virtual reality? • An artificial environment created with computer hardware and software and presented to the user in such a way that it appears and feels like a real environment • 3-D computer-based simulation of a real or imagined environment that users are able to navigate through and interact with

24. What is cyberspace? • A metaphor for describing the non-physical terrain created computer systems. Online systems create a cyberspace within which people can communicate one another via e-mail, do research, or simply window shop • In its extreme form, called virtual reality, users are presented with visual, auditory, and even tactile feedback that makes cyberspace feel real

25. Discussion questions • How is VR related to cyberspace? • How is VR related to 3D representation? • How is VR different from animated map? • How is VR different from multimedia?

26. VR is a specialized (more immersive) form of cyberspace • Construction of artificial world • VR utilizes 3D representation to offer high degree of realism • Multidimensionality • VR is different from animated map in that it offers high level of user interaction • Interactivity • Multimedia is not necessarily based on multidimensionality (3D or 4D)

27. 2. Technologies for VR

28. Technologies for creating VR • The technology for creating VR can be broken down into three parts: • Display • CRT display • Hardware controls • mouse and keyboard as controls • GUI • Microsoft Windows as the interface

29. Five basic forms of display technologies • Viewed without special devices (e.g. eyeglasses) • Desktop display • Wall-size display • Viewed with special devices • Head-mounted display (HMD) • Room-format (e.g. CAVE) • Table-format display (e.g. immersaDesk)

30. Viewed without special display • Desktop display: the most common approach for depicting VR • Wall-size display: Covers a large portion of a wall by tiling images created by multiple projectors

31. Head-mounted display (HMD) • Helmet-like device placed on the user’s head that shields the real world view and provides images of the VR to each eye • Sophisticated HMD enables a stereoscopic view

32. Room-format displays • Provides a room size view of VR by projecting images onto three walls and the floor (e.g. CAVE)

33. Table-format display • VR is projected onto a single screen that is tilted at a 45 degree angle (e.g. ImmersaDesk)

34. 3. VR, Geography, and GIS

35. Geographer’s knowledge- Forms of representations - • Geographers should have understanding of the diversity of forms of representations of the human and physical worlds From Kraak 2002

36. Plan-view • The plan view is the conventional two-dimensional map interface • The user can manipulate objects as symbols through GUI

37. Model-view • In the model view, the data are presented as a simple and symbolic perspective in 2.5 dimensions with a bird’s eye view • Navigation is by ‘fly-through’

38. World-view • Immersive view of a virtual world • The user within the model • Realistic impression of the environment • Navigation is by “walk-through”

39. Two kinds of mappable data in VR • Tangible data • The built environment • Topography • Non-tangible data • Physical • rainfall • Socioeconomic • Population density

40. Well-developed • Tangible data • Non-tangible data Rarely developed

41. Two kinds of functionalities in VR • Constructing “No longer” environment • Virtual archeology • Presenting glacier movement • Constructing “Not yet” environment • Simulation of future events (e.g. rise of sea level) • Urban development project

42. Discussion questions • What do you think VR can offer GIS or cartography? • How is VR distinct from traditional cartography?

43. VR for GIS (subject view) • VR and geographic data • VR relates to the multidimensional nature of geographic data such as the urban environment, geological structures and geomorphological process • VR for data representation • VR offers multiple representation in GIS (scale, purpose) • VR for user interface • VR offers intuitive user interface (query, viewpoint)

44. VR for GIS (functional view) • High level of spatial cognition • VR offers the viewer a set of stimuli of the ‘real three-dimensional world’ – • High level of interactivity • User can navigate and manipulate the virtual world • High level of engagement • The interactive and dynamic nature of VR can stimulate the user’s engagement and understanding of the real world. • Implication for public participation GIS (PPGIS)

45. VR in cartography view

46. VR for cartography • 3D shapes and volumes • Other dimensions – time • Description of simulations of motion and behavior – dynamics • User interaction • Multi-user worlds • Other environmental variable: lighting, fog • Alternative viewpoints – both user controlled and predefined • The cartographer therefore have a whole language to use in modeling spatial data…”

47. VR for cartography • Making data representation close to reality 3D graphics Conventional 2D map Advances in data capture technology High computing Close to reality User interface design Image map Virtual world Real world

48. How is VR distinct from traditional cartography? • The difference between VR and traditional cartography lies in the relationship between representation and user • VR facilitates the transformation between map and user map map Map user user user Traditional cartography Virtual Reality

49. Virtual Reality? Geographical Environment Geographical Environment Geographical Environment Geographical Environment Recognized Geographic Information Recognized Geographic Information Recognized Geographic Information Recognized Geographic Information Representation Representation Representation Representation User User User User a) b) c) d) From Bodile et al 2002

50. 4. Applications of VR in GIS