Large High-resolution Display Research Articles

Interactive Visualization on Large High‐Resolution Displays: A Survey

AbstractIn the past few years, large high‐resolution displays (LHRDs) have attracted considerable attention from researchers, industries and application areas that increasingly rely on data‐driven decision‐making. An up‐to‐date survey on the use of LHRDs for interactive data visualization seems warranted to summarize how new solutions meet the characteristics and requirements of LHRDs and take advantage of their unique benefits. In this survey, we start by defining LHRDs and outlining the consequence of LHRD environments on interactive visualizations in terms of more pixels, space, users and devices. Then, we review related literature along the four axes of visualization, interaction, evaluation studies and applications. With these four axes, our survey provides a unique perspective and covers a broad range of aspects being relevant when developing interactive visual data analysis solutions for LHRDs. We conclude this survey by reflecting on a number of opportunities for future research to help the community take up the still‐open challenges of interactive visualization on LHRDs.

Foveated Encoding for Large High-Resolution Displays

Collaborative exploration of scientific data sets across large high-resolution displays requires both high visual detail as well as low-latency transfer of image data (oftentimes inducing the need to trade one for the other). In this work, we present a system that dynamically adapts the encoding quality in such systems in a way that reduces the required bandwidth without impacting the details perceived by one or more observers. Humans perceive sharp, colourful details, in the small foveal region around the centre of the field of view, while information in the periphery is perceived blurred and colourless. We account for this by tracking the gaze of observers, and respectively adapting the quality parameter of each macroblock used by the H.264 encoder, considering the so-called visual acuity fall-off. This allows to substantially reduce the required bandwidth with barely noticeable changes in visual quality, which is crucial for collaborative analysis across display walls at different locations. We demonstrate the reduced overall required bandwidth and the high quality inside the foveated regions using particle rendering and parallel coordinates.

Using large-scale augmented floor surfaces for industrial applications and evaluation on perceived sizes

Large high-resolution displays (LHRDs) provide an enabling technology to achieve immersive, isometrically registered, virtual environments. It has been shown that LHRDs allow better size judgments, higher collaboration performance, and shorter task completion times. This paper presents novel insights into human size perception using large-scale floor displays, in particular in-depth evaluations of size judgment accuracy, precision, and task completion time. These investigations have been performed in the context of six, novel applications in the domain of automotive production planning. In our studies, we used a 54-sqm sized LED floor and a standard tablet visualizing relatively scaled and true to scale 2D content, which users had to estimate using different aids. The study involved 22 participants and three different conditions. Results indicate that true to scale floor visualizations reduce the mean absolute percentage error of spatial estimations. In all three conditions, we did not find the typical overestimation or underestimation of size judgments.

DataV: Data Visualization on large high-resolution displays

In recent years, the technology and applications of visualizations on large high-resolution displays (LHDs) have received widespread attention because of its perceptual benefits and improved productivity. However, existing work on LHD visualization lacks both comprehensive guidance for design requirements and tools developed for its specific usage scenarios. In this paper, we present the scenarios, design, and implementation of DataV, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) visual deployment tool that enables rapid construction and cross-platform publishing of interactive visualization on LHDs. Our framework can support rich components for the high-performance rendering of multi-source heterogeneous data. DataV provides a full-fledged toolchain to help the user efficiently specify layout and interactions. We present its accessibility and impressive visual effects with examples and comparison with Tableau, Power BI, VisComposer, and iVisDesigner. We also report the performance of using DataV for 3D map rendering by comparing it with deck.gl.

The Impact of Utilizing a Large High-Resolution Display on the Analytical Process for Visual Histories

Visual history can be helpful in building awareness of various investigative documents exemplified by active visual artifacts that encourage the growth of and access to different threads of investigation. On the downside, however, with the growth of an analysis history, it becomes more difficult to keep track of the workflow and the decision-making processes throughout the analysis. This article explores the concept of supporting visual history through branching functionality for analyzing a cybersecurity dataset in a spreadsheet format using a large high-resolution display (LHRD). To support the findings, the authors conducted a qualitative study to investigate the effect of screen size on the analytical process and the support of visual history. A comparison of participants' analytic processes found differences between the two different display setups and revealed that the LHRD participants tended to take advantage of the visual history spatially during their analytical investigations.

Efficient method for fabricating a directional volumetric display using strings displaying multiple images.

In this study, we describe the fabrication of a high-resolution directional volumetric display that can display multiple images in different directions. The display designs can be used to show animations using strings; however, improving the resolution of such displays is difficult. Previously, the arrangement of strings has only been determined experimentally, making fabrication of volumetric displays a challenge. The goal of the present study is to improve resolution using simulations and to determine the arrangement of strings under three constraints. This simplified the fabrication of a directional volumetric display with 345 strings, which can display two different 20×20 pixel images in two different directions. A large high-resolution directional volumetric display can be fabricated using the proposed method. The string-type display has high artistic potential and is expected to find applications in the amusement and entertainment fields.

A Survey of Software Frameworks for Cluster-Based Large High-Resolution Displays.

Large high-resolution displays (LHRD) enable visualization of extremely large-scale data sets with high resolution, large physical size, scalable rendering performance, advanced interaction methods, and collaboration. Despite the advantages, applications for LHRD can be developed only by a select group of researchers and programmers, since its software implementation requires design and development paradigms different from typical desktop environments. It is critical for developers to understand and take advantage of appropriate software tools and methods for developing their LHRD applications. In this paper, we present a survey of the state-of-the-art software frameworks and applications for cluster-based LHRD, highlighting a three-aspect taxonomy. This survey can aid LHRD application and framework developers in choosing more suitable development techniques and software environments for new LHRD applications, and guide LHRD researchers to open needs in LHRD software frameworks.

WallTop: Managing Overflowing Windows on a Large Display

With the ever increasing amount of digital information, users desire more screen real estate to process daily desktop computing work, and might well benefit from using a large high-resolution display for information management. Unfortunately, we know very little about users' behaviors when using such a display for daily computing, and current user interfaces are mainly designed for normal-sized desktop monitors, which might not well suit a large display. In this article, we first present a longitudinal study that investigates how users manage overflowing digital information on a wall-sized display in a personal desktop computing context by comparing it with single and dual desktop monitors. Results showed users' unanimous preferences of working on a large display and revealed large-display users' unique activity patterns of managing windows. Guided by the study results, we designed a set of interaction techniques that provide greater flexibility in managing multiple windows. They include facile methods for selecting, moving, and resizing multiple windows using an active window boundary called Fringe, rearranging selected windows using multi- and single-window marking menus, packing/unpacking the selected windows using easily activated icons, and freely adjusting the order of overlapping windows with a Jab-to-Lift operation. We coherently integrated these techniques with traditional operations in a large-display window management prototype called WallTop. Two rounds of usability testing showed that users can quickly and easily learn the new interaction techniques and apply them to realistic window management tasks on a large display with increased efficiency.

Information Visualization and Proxemics: Design Opportunities and Empirical Findings

People typically interact with information visualizations using a mouse. Their physical movement, orientation, and distance to visualizations are rarely used as input. We explore how to use such spatial relations among people and visualizations (i.e., proxemics) to drive interaction with visualizations, focusing here on the spatial relations between a single user and visualizations on a large display. We implement interaction techniques that zoom and pan, query and relate, and adapt visualizations based on tracking of users' position in relation to a large high-resolution display. Alternative prototypes are tested in three user studies and compared with baseline conditions that use a mouse. Our aim is to gain empirical data on the usefulness of a range of design possibilities and to generate more ideas. Among other things, the results show promise for changing zoom level or visual representation with the user's physical distance to a large display. We discuss possible benefits and potential issues to avoid when designing information visualizations that use proxemics.

Developing Large High-Resolution Display Visualizations of High-Fidelity Terrain Data

The vehicle terrain measurement system (VTMS) allows highly detailed terrain modeling and vehicle simulations. Visualization of large-scale terrain datasets taken from VTMS provides better insights into the characteristics of the pavement or road surface. However, the resolution of these terrain datasets greatly exceeds the capability of traditional graphics displays and computer systems. Large high-resolution displays (LHRDs) enable visualization of large-scale VTMS datasets with high resolution, large physical size, scalable rendering performance, advanced interaction methods, and collaboration. This paper investigates beneficial factors, implementation issues, and case study applications of LHRDs for visualizing large, high-fidelity, terrain datasets from VTMS. Two prototype visualizations are designed and evaluated with automotive and pavement engineers to demonstrate effectiveness of LHRDs for multiscale tasks that involve understanding pavement surface details within the overall context of the terrain.

The Impact of Control-Display Gain on User Performance in Pointing Tasks

ABSTRACT We theoretically and empirically examine the impact of control display (CD) gain on mouse pointing performance. Two techniques for modifying CD gain are considered: constant gain (CG) where CD gain is uniformly adjusted by a constant multiplier, and pointer acceleration (PA) where CD gain is adjusted using a nonuniform function depending on movement characteristics. Both CG and PA are evaluated at various levels of relationship between mouse and cursor movement: from low levels, which have a near one-to-one mapping, through to high levels that aggressively amplify mouse movement. We further derive a model predicting the modification in motor-space caused by pointer acceleration. Experiments are then conducted on a standard desktop display and on a very large high-resolution display, allowing us to measure performance in high index of difficulty tasks where the effect of clutching may be pronounced. The evaluation apparatus was designed to minimize device quantization effects and used accurate 3D motion tracking equipment to analyze users' limb movements. On both displays, and in both gain techniques, we found that low levels of CD gain had a marked negative effect on performance, largely because of increased clutching and maximum limb speeds. High gain levels had relatively little impact on performance, with only a slight increase in time when selecting very small targets at high levels of constant gain. On the standard desktop display, pointer acceleration resulted in 3.3% faster pointing than constant gain and up to 5.6% faster with small targets. This supported the theoretical prediction of motor-space modification but fell short of the theoretical potential, possibly because PA caused an increase in target overshooting. Both techniques were accurately modeled by Fitts' law in all gain settings except for when there was a significant amount of clutching. From our results, we derive a usable range of CD gain settings between thresholds of speed and accuracy given the capabilities of a pointing device, display, and the expected range of target widths and distances.

A large high‐resolution electroluminescent display

Abstract—A new high‐resolution electroluminescent display with a luminance of 100 cd/m2 (30 fL) and 6‐bit gray scale to support real‐time video up to a bandwidth of 45 MHz has been developed under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Technology Reinvestment Project. Production units are now installed in the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank upgrade program and are used to display the tank commander's new infrared “second‐generation FLIR” imagery.