Teaching and Research activities in GIS and Visualization

Undergraduate and Graduate Coursework

• EECS 672: Introduction to Computer Graphics
  A general introduction to 2D and 3D interactive graphics programming in C/C++ using OpenGL. This course is appropriate for upper level undergraduates and/or beginning graduate students and focuses on principals of use as well as the underlying mathematics of geometry and transformations.
• EECS 773: Advanced Graphics
  Covers several advanced topics in computer graphics including physically based lighting models, global rendering algorithms, animation, image-based modeling and rendering, nonphotorealistic rendering, and others.
• EECS 774: Geometric Modeling
  Representation, manipulation, and analysis of mathematical models of objects. Includes implicit and parametric representations of curves and surfaces, with an emphasis on parametric freeform curves and surfaces such as Bezier, Rational Bezier, and Nonuniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS). Curve and surface design and rendering techniques. Basic geometric analysis tools, such as differentiation and intersection strategies. The course also includes an introduction to solid modeling, with an emphasis on Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) and Boundary Representations.
• EECS 775: Visualization
  A study of the state of the art in visualizing objects and/or pheneomena associated with physical, scientific, or engineering data or processes. Includes common scientific data representations (e.g., scalar, vector, and tensor fields) as well as common visualization algorithms and techniques (interpolation, volumetric rendering, contouring, and several others).

Research Projects and Facilities

The Collaborative Visualization Room (CVR) is the visualization centerpiece of DesignLab, a multidisciplinary research laboratory funded by NSF Infrastructure Grant CDA-94-01021. The CVR houses a wall sized video display system that projects 5760 x 1200 pixels on a curved projection screen that is 6 feet tall and 25 feet wide. It provides a 120 degree field of view when viewed from a distance of 12 feet. The display is driven by a six-processor SGI Origin 2000 computer and three InfiniteReality2 graphics subsystems, one for each of the three ceiling-mounted projection systems. The room includes a conference table and chair arrangement that easily accommodates collaborative groups of twelve or more people. Several input devices are available for use including a six-degree-of-freedom input device with three-degree-of-freedom haptic force feedback and several wireless personalized input devices that allow collaborators to share control of a set of applications running in the environment.

The CVR has been used for several past and ongoing projects. Details on these and other projects can be found in various technical publications.