RENCI Update: Combining Gaming and Visualization Technologies to Support Efficient and Effective Decision-Making

        RENCI stands for the Renaissance Computing Institute.  It is a multidisciplinary collaboration between UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University, with Engagement Sites at UNC Asheville, Duke University, Eastern Carolina University, North Carolina University, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, and the UNC Costal Studies Institute.  
        According to the mission statement, "RENCI develops and deploys advanced technologies to enable research discoveries and practical innovations."  Much of the work of RENCI focuses on large-scale information and data visualization.
        Why is this important?  It provides an effective visual-cognitive means of understanding complex data from a variety of disciplines, and also supports the collaboration of researchers across a variety of disciplines.   It has the potential to support larger-scale decision-making and problem-solving in our technology-dependent, interconnected world.  

Take a few minutes and explore what I've posted below:
       
Press release from RENCI about the interactive dome, pictured below (photo credit: RENCI-UNC Asheville):  "To understand human-induced global changes, there's no place like dome" Nancy Foltz, 10/12/11

RENCI: Gaming the Future
        The video below provides an overview of how innovative interactive visualization tools support decision-making across many disciplines.

RENCI: Unity 3D game engine to support immersive information visualization applications:

RENCI Situation Room Multi-touch Table, UNC-Charlotte:





RELATED

RENCI pioneering the visualization industry with innovative interfaces
Tracy Boyer Clark, Innovative Interactivity (II), 2/8/10
RENCI Visualization Center Update
Lynn Marentette, Interactive Multimedia Technology, 2/9/10
RENCI Tutorial: "Beautiful Code, Compelling Evidence: Functional Programming for Information Visualization and Visual Analytics" (pdf)  J.R. Heard
RENCI: Data to Decisions
Recent Publications from RENCI:

Y. Xin, I. Baldine, A. Mandal, C. Heermann, J. Chase, and A. Yumerefendi. “Embedding Virtual Topologies in Networked Clouds.”The 6th International Conference on Future Internet Technologies (CFI). Seoul, Korean, June 2011 
Y. Xin, I. Baldine, J. Chase, T. Beyene, B. Parkhurst, and A. Chakrabortty. “Virtual Smart Grid Architecture and Control Framework.” 2nd IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications (IEEE SmartGridComm), Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 2011 
X. Ju, H. Zhang, W. Zeng,M. Sridharan, J. Li, A. Arora, R. Ramnath, Y. Xin. “LENS: Resource Specification for Wireless Sensor Network Experimentation Infrastructures. ” The 6th International Workshop on Wireless Network Testbeds, Experimental Evaluation and Characterization (WinTECH), Las Vegas, Nevada, Sep. 2011
RENCI's Facebook Page
Twitter: @RENCI

Unlocking the Future of Cities through Multi-Touch Interactive Visualization at RENCI (UNC-Charlotte)

Here is a link to an article that was in the SciTech section of my morning paper today!


Unlocking the Future of Cities:  UNCC scientists work across disciplines to predict how urban areas will use open land. Tyler Dukes, Charlotte Observer, 10/31/10

"As part of a three-year, $286,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the group of scientists from UNC Charlotte is researching the complex relationship between the Queen City and its surrounding forest and pastoral lands. Using a combination of social, natural and computer science, they're working to build an interactive map-based simulation capable of showing the impact of future development and policy on land use....It's a project requiring Meentemeyer's team to peel back multiple layers of cultural and economic values surrounding land in the South. The research will have implications beyond the Charlotte area...By allowing the public to explore those possibilities visually on anything from a laptop to a touch-screen table, the research team is hoping its work will mean more informed decisions about how people use the land around them."  -Charlotte Observer

Image Source: Charlotte Observer


Wouldn't this be a great tool to use to support collaborative learning projects in the schools?


RELATED
RENCI at UNC-Charlotte has a Multi-touch Table in the Visualization Center
RENCI Visualization Center Update
Visualization Resources at RENCI UNC-Charlotte
RENCI at UNC Charlotte
Multi-Touch at RENCI
Research by Touch:  RENCI Multitouch Table Gives Computer Science Research an Intuitive Interface