ACADEMIA

At the forefront of this visualization solution is Barco’s OLS-521 3D stereoscopic video wall displaying data generated by Rice's first 3D visualization project, the Data Analysis and Visualization Cyber-Infrastructure for Computational Science and Engineering Applications (DAVinCI).

In addition to the display wall, the system also features an optical tracking system that will allow researchers to interact with their 3D data in a very unique way.  Because of the user’s head movements and the system’s handheld user interface, viewers become part of the data instead of a simple viewer of the data.

See Rice University’s 3D visualization solution

As part of a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Rice University is installing a powerful new high-performance computer system that will also feature DAVinCI, fulfilling the University’s need for data analysis, interpretation and visualization.

Employing user-friendly imaging products, such as those from visualization pioneer Barco, AVI-SPL and Rice University jointly designed an economical workstation solution to mirror the new visualization wall data that exists within DAVinCI.

“The new advanced visualization system that AVI-SPL is providing for Rice University is a demonstration of our commitment to being the premier provider of enabling technologies that help our customers realize their vision for growth,” said Sean LaNeve, vice president of AVI-SPL’s Control Room Group.

The project will also be an asset to the Texas Medical Center as part of Rice University’s BioScience Research Collaborative.

"The relative cost for generating data is approaching zero, and as a result many laboratories are practically drowning in data,” said Jan Odegard, executive director of Rice’s Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology. “Our ability to extract useful information and knowledge from data is increasingly limited by our ability to effectively manipulate, move, manage and visualize data."

“The benefits of 3D stereoscopy in higher education promise never-before-seen opportunities for discovery,” commented Hans Dekeyser, vice president of enterprise visualization for Barco North America. “Our solution will enable Rice University researchers to maximize the value and relevance of their data by creating an immersive environment which enables them to explore and tag images from every possible angle. We are pleased to offer them this capability as they strive to expand their scientific knowledge.”

The DAVinCI wall will be managed by Erik Engquist, visualization project manager. This project is a partnership between the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology and the Office of the Vice Provost for Information Technology working with faculty to develop and support research cyber-infrastructure at Rice. The Barco stereoscopic, fully-immersive visualization wall can display up to 33 million pixels from a single workstation. This massive amount of resolution is compacted into an image area that measures 14 feet wide by 8 feet high, offering an extreme degree of pixel-density that matches Rice University's computational science mission. The video wall will display flicker-free, fluidly moving images for a realistic depiction of 3D content in vivid LED color. The wall’s small, eco-friendly footprint and auto-calibration software result in long-term, consistent image quality and low total cost of ownership.