Benjamin Watson | North Carolina State University (original) (raw)

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Papers by Benjamin Watson

Abstract The informational context in which we live and work is becoming increasingly complex and... more Abstract The informational context in which we live and work is becoming increasingly complex and rich, with information much more plentiful and accessible than ever before. Our informational context is also faster paced, with news and developments spreading across media and the Internet at an often astounding rate. In today's competitive world, the first response to a trend is usually the most effective. Thus far, the technology responsible for this information complexity offers little to help us quickly understand and act upon it.

Abstract Just as colour image quantization can be viewed as simplification of a three dimensional... more Abstract Just as colour image quantization can be viewed as simplification of a three dimensional colour in a two dimensional image, model simplification can be viewed as quantization of three dimensional normal vectors on a two dimensional surface. Thus many of the approaches used in quantization can be applied to the problem of model simplification. We present a model simplification algorithm that is based on the splitting algorithm from quantization literature.

This article presents an analysis of age differences in virtual reality (VR) use. One hundred for... more This article presents an analysis of age differences in virtual reality (VR) use. One hundred forty-eight users, grouped by age and balanced by gender, answered questionnaires about their driving, educational, and medical histories, as well as their experience with computers. Participants then completed a driving assessment in a low-cost, PC-based virtual environment known as DriVR.

ABSTRACT We present a visualization infrastructure that maps data elements to agents, which have ... more ABSTRACT We present a visualization infrastructure that maps data elements to agents, which have behaviors parameterized by those elements. Dynamic visualizations emerge as the agents change position, alter appearance and respond to one other. Agents move to minimize the difference between displayed agent-to-agent distances, and an input matrix of ideal distances. Our current application is visualization of streaming text.

Abstract. A paradigm for the design of systems that manage level of detail in virtual environment... more Abstract. A paradigm for the design of systems that manage level of detail in virtual environments is proposed. As an example of the prototyping step in this paradigm, a user study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of high detail insets used with head-mounted displays. Ten subjects were given a simple search task that required the location and identification of a single target object.

Making computer imagery more responsive and realistic is one of the most basic goals of graphics ... more Making computer imagery more responsive and realistic is one of the most basic goals of graphics researchers, and adaptive display is one of the primary means for achieving it. While previous displays have achieved a spatial adaptivity, our research focuses on achieving temporal adaptivity-sampling some regions not only more densely, but also more often. We use closed loop feedback to guide sampling to image regions that change significantly over space or time.

A user study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of high detail insets used with head-mou... more A user study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of high detail insets used with head-mounted displays. Ten subjects were given a simple search task that required the location of identification of a single target object. All subjects seven different displays (the independent variable), varying in inset size and peripheral detail, to perform this task. Frame rate, target location, subject input method, and order of display use were all controlled.

Abstract As the field of Visualization matures, there'sa trend to move away from the use of ad-ho... more Abstract As the field of Visualization matures, there'sa trend to move away from the use of ad-hoc graphics techniques and toward algorithms that are based on a formal understanding of how people perceive visual representations of information. Psychometric methods from experimental psychology can be used to quantify the relationships between the properties of images and what people perceive.

Abstract The NSF Summer Institute in Japan program sends about 60 graduate students of all discip... more Abstract The NSF Summer Institute in Japan program sends about 60 graduate students of all disciplines to Japan each summer. For two months, students participate in research at host labs, visit conferences and other labs of interest, and receive Japanese language and cultural instruction. Full financial support is provided by the American and Japanese governments. During the summer of 1993 the author participated in this program and took the opportunity to visit the Japanese virtual reality research community.

Abstract The Cognitive Map Probe (CMP) is a novel Virtual Reality interface that attempts to asse... more Abstract The Cognitive Map Probe (CMP) is a novel Virtual Reality interface that attempts to assess the cognitive mapping abilities of its users. The CMP uses a tangible user interface (TUI) in order to support natural acquisition and straightforward assessment of cognitive maps. It is directed at the assessment of early Alzheimer Disease (AD) by measuring the decline in cognitive mapping abilities, a decline associated with early phases of AD.

Abstract Urban spaces consist of a complex collection of buildings, parcels, blocks and neighbour... more Abstract Urban spaces consist of a complex collection of buildings, parcels, blocks and neighbourhoods interconnected by streets. Accurately modelling both the appearance and the behaviour of dense urban spaces is a significant challenge. The recent surge in urban data and its availability via the Internet has fomented a significant amount of research in computer graphics and in a number of applications in urban planning, emergency management and visualization.

Abstract The StorySpace project studies the role new interface technologies might play in high sc... more Abstract The StorySpace project studies the role new interface technologies might play in high school education. With this approach in mind, StorySpace is specifically designed to support and enhance classroom narrative, an already well-established classroom activity. StorySpace strives to achieve this through adherence to three design goals. The first is to trigger student reflection and interpretation. The narrative medium created by StorySpace should represent the topic of classroom discussion and learning in all its complexity.

Two user studies were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of level of detail (LOD) degradatio... more Two user studies were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of level of detail (LOD) degradation in the periphery of head-mounted displays. In the first study, spatial detail was degraded by reducing resolution. In the second study, detail was degraded in the color domain by using grayscale in the periphery. In each study, ten subjects were given a complex search task that required users to indicate whether or not a target object was present among distractors.

Abstract Realtime rendering requires accurate display of a dynamic scene with minimal delay. Fram... more Abstract Realtime rendering requires accurate display of a dynamic scene with minimal delay. Frameless rendering [Bishop et al. 1994] offers unique flexibility in this regard: because it samples time per pixel, it can respond to change with very little delay, and at any location in the image. However, sampling is random, resulting in blurring in changing image regions. We present an approach for improving frameless rendering by making sampling sensitive to change in the image, as suggested in [Bishop et al. 1994].

Abstract Graphs are a widely used and understood visualization. However, they quickly break down ... more Abstract Graphs are a widely used and understood visualization. However, they quickly break down when the visualized data is quite complex, requiring hundreds or thousands of graphs. Our Histographs system builds on the techniques introduced with Information Murals [7] to enable meaningful visualization of such data. Histographs map the frequency of data elements at each display location to luminance, revealing data density and trends.

Abstract This paper is a study of techniques for measuring and predicting visual fidelity. As vis... more Abstract This paper is a study of techniques for measuring and predicting visual fidelity. As visual stimuli we use polygonal models, and vary their fidelity with two different model simplification algorithms. We also group the stimuli into two object types: animals and man made artifacts. We examine three different experimental techniques for measuring these fidelity changes: naming times, ratings, and preferences. All the measures were sensitive to the type of simplification and level of simplification.

Abstract Tangible interfaces offer natural means of human computer interaction and have already b... more Abstract Tangible interfaces offer natural means of human computer interaction and have already been shown to simplify existing computerized applications and offer solutions for tasks that were considered to be “out of the scope” of human-computer interaction. We are currently perusing new applications for 3D geometry defining tangible interfaces. In this paper we attempt to provide the reader with introduction to the underling paradigms and research in this emerging domain.

Abstract The informational context in which we live and work is becoming increasingly complex and... more Abstract The informational context in which we live and work is becoming increasingly complex and rich, with information much more plentiful and accessible than ever before. Our informational context is also faster paced, with news and developments spreading across media and the Internet at an often astounding rate. In today's competitive world, the first response to a trend is usually the most effective. Thus far, the technology responsible for this information complexity offers little to help us quickly understand and act upon it.

Abstract Just as colour image quantization can be viewed as simplification of a three dimensional... more Abstract Just as colour image quantization can be viewed as simplification of a three dimensional colour in a two dimensional image, model simplification can be viewed as quantization of three dimensional normal vectors on a two dimensional surface. Thus many of the approaches used in quantization can be applied to the problem of model simplification. We present a model simplification algorithm that is based on the splitting algorithm from quantization literature.

This article presents an analysis of age differences in virtual reality (VR) use. One hundred for... more This article presents an analysis of age differences in virtual reality (VR) use. One hundred forty-eight users, grouped by age and balanced by gender, answered questionnaires about their driving, educational, and medical histories, as well as their experience with computers. Participants then completed a driving assessment in a low-cost, PC-based virtual environment known as DriVR.

ABSTRACT We present a visualization infrastructure that maps data elements to agents, which have ... more ABSTRACT We present a visualization infrastructure that maps data elements to agents, which have behaviors parameterized by those elements. Dynamic visualizations emerge as the agents change position, alter appearance and respond to one other. Agents move to minimize the difference between displayed agent-to-agent distances, and an input matrix of ideal distances. Our current application is visualization of streaming text.

Abstract. A paradigm for the design of systems that manage level of detail in virtual environment... more Abstract. A paradigm for the design of systems that manage level of detail in virtual environments is proposed. As an example of the prototyping step in this paradigm, a user study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of high detail insets used with head-mounted displays. Ten subjects were given a simple search task that required the location and identification of a single target object.

Making computer imagery more responsive and realistic is one of the most basic goals of graphics ... more Making computer imagery more responsive and realistic is one of the most basic goals of graphics researchers, and adaptive display is one of the primary means for achieving it. While previous displays have achieved a spatial adaptivity, our research focuses on achieving temporal adaptivity-sampling some regions not only more densely, but also more often. We use closed loop feedback to guide sampling to image regions that change significantly over space or time.

A user study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of high detail insets used with head-mou... more A user study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of high detail insets used with head-mounted displays. Ten subjects were given a simple search task that required the location of identification of a single target object. All subjects seven different displays (the independent variable), varying in inset size and peripheral detail, to perform this task. Frame rate, target location, subject input method, and order of display use were all controlled.

Abstract As the field of Visualization matures, there'sa trend to move away from the use of ad-ho... more Abstract As the field of Visualization matures, there'sa trend to move away from the use of ad-hoc graphics techniques and toward algorithms that are based on a formal understanding of how people perceive visual representations of information. Psychometric methods from experimental psychology can be used to quantify the relationships between the properties of images and what people perceive.

Abstract The NSF Summer Institute in Japan program sends about 60 graduate students of all discip... more Abstract The NSF Summer Institute in Japan program sends about 60 graduate students of all disciplines to Japan each summer. For two months, students participate in research at host labs, visit conferences and other labs of interest, and receive Japanese language and cultural instruction. Full financial support is provided by the American and Japanese governments. During the summer of 1993 the author participated in this program and took the opportunity to visit the Japanese virtual reality research community.

Abstract The Cognitive Map Probe (CMP) is a novel Virtual Reality interface that attempts to asse... more Abstract The Cognitive Map Probe (CMP) is a novel Virtual Reality interface that attempts to assess the cognitive mapping abilities of its users. The CMP uses a tangible user interface (TUI) in order to support natural acquisition and straightforward assessment of cognitive maps. It is directed at the assessment of early Alzheimer Disease (AD) by measuring the decline in cognitive mapping abilities, a decline associated with early phases of AD.

Abstract Urban spaces consist of a complex collection of buildings, parcels, blocks and neighbour... more Abstract Urban spaces consist of a complex collection of buildings, parcels, blocks and neighbourhoods interconnected by streets. Accurately modelling both the appearance and the behaviour of dense urban spaces is a significant challenge. The recent surge in urban data and its availability via the Internet has fomented a significant amount of research in computer graphics and in a number of applications in urban planning, emergency management and visualization.

Abstract The StorySpace project studies the role new interface technologies might play in high sc... more Abstract The StorySpace project studies the role new interface technologies might play in high school education. With this approach in mind, StorySpace is specifically designed to support and enhance classroom narrative, an already well-established classroom activity. StorySpace strives to achieve this through adherence to three design goals. The first is to trigger student reflection and interpretation. The narrative medium created by StorySpace should represent the topic of classroom discussion and learning in all its complexity.

Two user studies were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of level of detail (LOD) degradatio... more Two user studies were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of level of detail (LOD) degradation in the periphery of head-mounted displays. In the first study, spatial detail was degraded by reducing resolution. In the second study, detail was degraded in the color domain by using grayscale in the periphery. In each study, ten subjects were given a complex search task that required users to indicate whether or not a target object was present among distractors.

Abstract Realtime rendering requires accurate display of a dynamic scene with minimal delay. Fram... more Abstract Realtime rendering requires accurate display of a dynamic scene with minimal delay. Frameless rendering [Bishop et al. 1994] offers unique flexibility in this regard: because it samples time per pixel, it can respond to change with very little delay, and at any location in the image. However, sampling is random, resulting in blurring in changing image regions. We present an approach for improving frameless rendering by making sampling sensitive to change in the image, as suggested in [Bishop et al. 1994].

Abstract Graphs are a widely used and understood visualization. However, they quickly break down ... more Abstract Graphs are a widely used and understood visualization. However, they quickly break down when the visualized data is quite complex, requiring hundreds or thousands of graphs. Our Histographs system builds on the techniques introduced with Information Murals [7] to enable meaningful visualization of such data. Histographs map the frequency of data elements at each display location to luminance, revealing data density and trends.

Abstract This paper is a study of techniques for measuring and predicting visual fidelity. As vis... more Abstract This paper is a study of techniques for measuring and predicting visual fidelity. As visual stimuli we use polygonal models, and vary their fidelity with two different model simplification algorithms. We also group the stimuli into two object types: animals and man made artifacts. We examine three different experimental techniques for measuring these fidelity changes: naming times, ratings, and preferences. All the measures were sensitive to the type of simplification and level of simplification.

Abstract Tangible interfaces offer natural means of human computer interaction and have already b... more Abstract Tangible interfaces offer natural means of human computer interaction and have already been shown to simplify existing computerized applications and offer solutions for tasks that were considered to be “out of the scope” of human-computer interaction. We are currently perusing new applications for 3D geometry defining tangible interfaces. In this paper we attempt to provide the reader with introduction to the underling paradigms and research in this emerging domain.