Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 11.14
Portable system being exhibited, consisting of two projectors powered by a compact
PC shuttle system as well as a combined two- and three-dimensional presentation at the GSA Penrose
conference (
source:
N. Holliman and J. Imber for the image; details of construction are available at
Turner and LeBlanc, 2006)
Figure 11.14 that can be easily taken to meetings, lecture rooms and conferences with min-
imal complexity and still produce high-quality, semi-immersive presentations.
The whole unit, including computer, projectors and screen, fits comfortably within the
back of a car and it is just possible for a single user to carry all the components at once. This
system has, over the last 18 months, been to over 40 locations and presented to thousands of
users, and versions of the system are available at various universities across the UK. Set-up
time by non-experienced operators can be under half an hour and a minimal amount of
training is required. Importantly it does still allow all three of the modes of interaction to
occur - solitary detailed interrogation, audience presentation and discovery - as well as
complex group interaction.
11.4 Rules and recommendations
Best practice should always be considered for any geographic, information and statistical
information visualization, whether on the small screen or in a large presentation system.
Section 11.1 briefly mentioned some examples and references to generic guidelines for
best visualization techniques. At all stages the user and their ability to interpret both as a
methodology, in terms of interaction, and as a simple ability to visually understand, through
knowledge of the human visual system, need to be always kept in mind. When considering
large immersive technologies there are three extra considerations that need to be addressed:
size, interactivity and narrative.
11.4.1 Increase the size
As multiple projection systems are used, display size correspondingly increases, and there
is an additional requirement to increase the resolution needs to match. This can require
the use of more and higher specification graphics cards as well as needing synchronized
computers within clusters. As the human visual system is still being used, good quality
visuals and comfortable viewing positions are still important, which act as guidance values
for the required resolution.
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