Speaker: Kristine Jørgensen

Place: Thormøhlens gate 51 (VilVite), Konferanserom A

Time: Friday November 24th, 2017, from 10:15am to 11:00am

Abstract:

Designing so-called “invisible” interfaces that are integrated into the gameworld is a trend in modern game user interface design, and debates about the superiority of such interfaces frequently appear in game developer discourse. At the same time certain genres do not seem to pay this trend any attention and continue to use a lot of screen space on heavy overlays. While proponents of “invisible” interfaces believe that this approach provides the greatest sense of involvement for the player because the fiction appears unmediated, defenders of the second approach believe that clear information is necessary for overview and control and therefore a support for involvement. In this presentation I will discuss the main points in my monograph Gameworld Interfaces (MIT Press 2013). At the core of my argument is the idea that regardless of how the user interface is presented in games, it is a necessity to be able to present gameplay relevant system information to the player. For this reason, the conflict is not about whether or not to have an interface at all, but how to present system information in a way that is clear and communicative at the same time as it is elegant and takes up as little screen space as possible considering the information needs of the specific game.

Additional material: Flyer

Speaker: Helwig Hauser

Place: Thormøhlens gate 51 (VilVite), Konferanserom A

Time: Friday October 20th, 2017, from 10:15am to 11:00am

Abstract:

Since 2007, Helwig Hauser is professor at the University of Bergen, Norway, where he is leading the research group on visualization. During the first four years, the group grew to a size of 15 researchers, working on projects in medical visualization, the visualization of geological data and models, flow visualization, the visualization of biological data, marine data visualization, and others. Since then, the group is continuously contributing to the field. Helwig Hauser's interests are diverse in visualization and related fields, including interactive visual analysis, illustrative visualization, and the combination of scientific and information visualization, as well as many other related topics. Helwig Hauser is also particularly interested in the application of visualization to the fields of medicine, geoscience, climatology, biology, engineering, and others.

Additional material: Flyer

Speaker: Hanneke Meijer

Place: Thormøhlens gate 51 (VilVite), Konferanserom B

Time: Friday September 15th, 2017, from 10:15am to 11:00am

Abstract:

3D imaging techniques can provide a range of exciting opportunities for museum collections, research, exhibits, education and outreach. In this talk, I will highlight some of the potential uses of 3D imaging techniques for the Bergen University Museum. For instance, digital models of specimens can reduce damage that occurs when delicate or rare specimens are handled by researchers. Rather than loaning specimens to researchers, (high-res) 3D models of specimens can easily be shared with researchers worldwide, thereby facilitating research and reducing the need for travel. Furthermore, with only a small portion of collections on display in museum exhibits, digitization affords the opportunity to bring the remainder of the collection into the virtual light and allows the public to interact with museum collections. Finally, with 3D printing, educators can integrate 3D technologies into their classrooms.

Additional material: Flyer

Speaker: Daniel Patel

Place: Lille auditorium (208N2), 2rd floor Høyteknologisenteret

Time: Friday August 11th, 2017, from 10:15am to 11:00am

Abstract:

This talk presents the computer graphics cirruculum at HVL and the experiences after introducing a new course on advanced computer graphics covering both geometry, 3D printing and real time ray tracing using the Unity game engine.

Additional material: Flyer

Speaker: Nils Martin Engebretsen

Place: Lille auditorium (208N2), 2rd floor Høyteknologisenteret

Time: Friday May 5th, 2017, from 10:15am to 11:00am

Abstract:

We witness today an increased use of data visualization (DV) in a number of fields and genres: in journalism, in education, in commerce and industry etc. DV – in the forms of colorful graphs, maps and diagrams – are used to inform, convince and tell stories, and they promise to make both statistical material and unstructured flowing data accessible and intelligible even for untrained users. New affordances of dynamics and interaction introduced by digital media technology, make the landscape of DV-design even more rich and complex, and call for new and updated descriptions, models for learning and investigations concerning semiotic qualities and social functions. Martin Engebretsen, professor at UiA and leader of the NFR-funded project INDVIL (Innovative Data Visualization and Visual-numeric Literacy) will share future plans and preliminary results from the project (see www.indvil.org) He will focus specifically on the use of DV on online news sites. The main questions are: What characterizes the use of data visualizations on major Scandinavian news sites today and how do they create meanings and feelings?

Additional material: Flyer

Speaker: Tobias Isenberg

Place: Lille auditorium (208N2), 2rd floor Høyteknologisenteret

Time: Friday April 7th, 2017, from 10:15am to 11:00am

Abstract:

Abstraction is a concept that is fundamental in both non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) and (illustrative) visualization. In NPR, abstraction is introduced by choosing a subset of elements to depict, by simplifying the depicted elements, by choosing a particular style of depiction, or by even changing the underlying geometric model. Here, abstraction typically serves an aesthetic goal. In illustrative visualization, abstraction is often used to emphasize important parts and de-emphasize less important ones. Traditionally, however, most authors argue that by simply using an NPR style or by using methods from illustrative rendering they automatically abstract---only few approaches actually discuss how the abstraction is introduced, what types of abstraction exist, and how abstraction can be controlled. I will discuss three approaches that not only rely on abstraction but also allow users to control it. First, I will discuss an approach for the abstraction of visualizations of molecular structures in which a continuous abstraction space between structural abstraction, abstraction through spatial perception, and abstraction by means of "illustrativeness" is created. Users can navigate this space to adjust visualization to their specific needs. Then I will talk about the abstraction of brain connectivity though the contraction of fiber tracks based on local similarity. And finally, I will discuss an example from NPR in which different abstraction strategies are used to affect map data in order to create an abstract map representation that is guided by each person's individual aesthetics.

Additional material: Flyer

Speaker: Thomas Spengler

Place: 302O2, 3rd floor Høyteknologisenteret

Time: Friday March 10th, 2017, from 10:15am to 11:00am

Abstract:

Weather and climate science is among the most demanding in terms of challenges for computation and data. Terabytes of data are produced every day for operational forecasting, but at the end most people are only interested in a few symbols on their favourite weather app worth a few kilobytes. I will touch on the principles of weather forecasting and the computational demands and challenges for data input and transfer. In particular, I will also focus on current research questions with respect to storm development and state-of-the-art analysis techniques, including feature detection and data reduction using theoretical assessments of the flow evolution. I will also highlight challenges in visualising our conceptual understanding of the workings of the weather and point to open questions regarding best use of the available data given the current research questions, also with respect to ensemble prediction. As an outlook, I will also touch on data availability at our institute for possible collaboration and close with open questions from the atmospheric science side.

Additional material: Flyer

Speaker: Morten Fjeld

Place: 302O2, 3rd floor Høyteknologisenteret

Time: Friday February 10th, 2017, from 10:15am to 11:00am

Abstract:

Vibrotactile notifications can be supportive as our visual attention is often overtaxed, both in mobile and fixed settings. In the first part of this talk, we investigate how users perceive spatiotemporal vibrotactile patterns on the arm, palm, thigh, and waist. Results of the first two experiments indicate that precise recognition of either position or orientation is difficult across multiple body parts. Nonetheless, users were able to distinguish whether two vibration pulses were from the same location when played in quick succession. Based on this finding, we designed eight spatiotemporal vibrotactile patterns and evaluated them in two additional experiments. In the second part of this talk, we present HaptiColor, an assistive wristband that encodes discrete color information into spatiotemporal vibrations to support colorblind users to recognize and compare colors. In the third part of this talk, we speculate around how advances in display technologies could soon make wearable mid-air displays—devices that present dynamic images floating in mid-air relative to a mobile user—available.

Additional material: Flyer