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SOUTH DAKOTA
SCHOOL OF MINES
& TECHNOLOGY
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Syllabus, ATM 597.Viz_Geo [Short Course] Immersive Visualization of Geophysical Data
Who Where When
Reference Text
The vGeo Documentation Pages (manuals are in PDF)
Scope of Course
Overview
Due to the nature of the course, no more than seven participating units will be admitted. The use of team-based units is negotiable. Priority Admission to SDSMT Strategic Research Areas by Course Section as assessed by the presiding professors.
This course is one of three separate courses on preparing data for the Black Hills Advanced Visualization Lab (BHAVL)
ATM 597.Viz_Meteo: Immersive Visualization of Meteorological Data
ATM 597.Viz_Geo: Immersive Visualization of Geophysical Data
ATM 597.Viz_Eng: Immersive Visualization of Engineering and Abstract Data
These courses are to provide the SDSMT research community access to the BHAVL by presenting the facility and its software to the community, and by training the research units in the use of the relevant software and hardware. Most importantly, the courses will provide the basics of translating their native or common data formats to those compatible to the BHAVL facilities.
Outcomes and Certifications
Enrolment Ceiling
Due to the nature of the course, no more than seven participating units will be admitted. The use of team-based units is negotiable and encouraged.
That said, backbench observers interested in subsequent visualization course offerings are welcome.
Technical Preparation
Participants should be familiar with the basics of geospatial data (e.g, GIS,
Remote Sensing, GRADS, GRASS, MODFLOW, Visual MODFLOW, GPS data, Potentiometeric
Surfaces), and have an basic understanding of programming (e.g., BASIC, Fortran,
or C). Our examples will use ArcInfo's GRID GIS format, example MODFLOW, as well as preprocessors developed by VRCO, the company that produces vGeo. Participants are encouraged to provide their own data (if not, datasets will be provided for them.).
Participants wanting to use data that is not already in the above mentioned formats should inform the course faculty beforehand (such approaches will require preparation by the participants
and instructors before the course begins but are often easily doable given
sufficient lead time).Likewise, participants interested in more engineering or abstract based applications using AmiraVR may only wish to attend the first session as observers and then sign up for ATM 597.Viz_Eng
when we are able to offer that course.
Course Presentation and Attendance Issues
The course will be presented in four training sessions and then an informal presentation session. Participants should commit to all four training sessions as each session is key to the final results of rendering their data in the BHAVL environment. The course will be presented both in the BHAVL and in a computer teaching lab so as to provide hands on training in both the BHAVL facility and to provide the membership the opportunity to customize their own data sets in a single common set of sessions.
Course Schedule and Topics
Common Training Session One: Introduction to the BHAVL and vGeo
Familiarization with the BHAVL and Hardware
Care and Safety within the Facility
Introduction to vGeo: Basic Use and Functionality
Brief introduction to the vGeo data environment and prerequisites for data translation
Common Training Session Two: Translating Data into the VGeo Format
The vGeo Data Formats
Translation Approaches for GIS and select Geoscience Model Data (e.g., MODFLOW)
The Under-the-hood comparisons of GIS, Geoscience and vGeo formats
The vGeo Data Format
Translating from Geoscience Data into vGeo
An Introduction to the vGeo Environment (“World”) Language
Common Training Session Three: Rendering Data in vGeo
Customizing a vGeo “World”
Viewing a vGeo “World”
Debugging a vGeo “World”
Applying vGeo to Meteorological Data
Additional vGeo Functionalities
Individual Training Session Four: Working in vGeo
One-on-one session in tailoring each participants work to function in the vGeo environment. Participants will sign up for lab-time.
Evaluation and Grading
After the four sessions, participants will present their visualization to the participating memberships. Oooos and ahhs or derisive laughter will be dispensed accordingly.
Special Needs
Prospective participants are warned in advance that immersive visualization requires perspective vision (However, we have noticed that the active stereo we use in the lab can mitigate this issue for some people) and color vision (Fortunately, red-green colorblindness does not inhibit the use of active stereo). Additionally some people (including one of the profs) can experience mild nausea when in the visualization environments for extended periods of time especially when using "flythrough" modes. That said, no one has died or re-experienced lunch from use of our lab -- yet.
Specific physical issues to the individual, machine related
or otherwise, should be brought explicitly to the attention of the
professors class proceeds.
Related Links
Also feel free to examine the materials for the ATM section of this course which also features vGeo.
Contact: William Capehart
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| http://www.hpcnet.org/sdsmt/ias/courses/atm597_Viz_Geo |
Last Modified: 10/13/2005 |
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