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Our research has created a framework that sustains new forms of effective collaboration for distributed workers and learners in `live environments'. The framework has resulted in a software toolkit and online guidelines designed for the new collaborative spaces: from avatar and embodied worlds to live video meetings. One part of the framework has transformed the work of international universities and multi-disciplinary research institutes, improving their 3D, avatar-based work and `embodied' learning spaces, while another aspect has created our FlashMeeting (FM) video-meeting tool. Released in 2003 (predating multi-party Skype™ by seven years), this research brought multi-party, in-browser, video meetings to thousands worldwide, including recording and analytic features that have only now started to emerge commercially.
A permanent museum display has been set up at House for an Art Lover, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow as a direct result of the AHRC-funded "British Empire Exhibition" project undertaken at the Digital Design Studio. The display includes workstations with project outputs such as 3D interactive virtual models of the non-extant architecture of the 1938 Exhibition (which itself was situated in Bellahouston Park), large format images of the architecture, interviews and interpretation, the full digitised project archive, and a selection of the physical project archive materials (a collection which was significantly enhanced by multiple donations from members of the public thanks to engaging and effective project publicity). The display has contributed intellectually, artistically, and economically to the House's assets.
The Scottish Ten is an ambitious five-year project using cutting edge technology to create exceptionally accurate digital models of Scotland's five UNESCO designated World Heritage Sites (WHS) and five other international heritage sites in order to better conserve and manage them. It has had global impact in terms of both its outputs and the process of research activity including forging intellectual and diplomatic links with our international partners, increasing access to digital surrogates of heritage sites, raising awareness of technological approaches to conservation of world heritage, and contributing to the policies of major heritage organisations across the world.
Dr Sweetman's research on the churches of the late-antique Peloponnese included a virtual reconstruction of the Acropolis Basilica in Sparta, which was developed in conjunction with a pair of publications on the pedagogical applications of virtual reconstructions. This initial work led to the development of nine other virtual reconstructions — including St Andrews Cathedral, Linlithgow Palace and the Brora Salt Pans in Sutherland — which have contributed to making cultural heritage more accessible to a wide range of users. Specifically:
i. They have helped a range of tourist and cultural heritage bodies in Scotland and beyond to improve accessibility by means of virtual tourism and to increase public interest in local heritage. (Public understanding and heritage management)
ii. They have been used in the classrooms of seven Scottish schools in projects related to the Curriculum for Excellence, resulting in increased understanding of and enthusiasm for archaeology and Scottish and classical history. They have influenced Education Scotland in their development of new plans for using digital technologies to enhance learning, and have been made available via Education Scotland's `Glow' website to schools throughout Scotland. (Education)
This case study describes the innovative 3D Head and Neck learning tool and its impact on teaching in both academic and clinical settings. Since its inception, the 3D Head and Neck project has developed an innovative and rigorous workflow and a learning tool which has had immediate impact on education and training within the NHS and academic sectors in Scotland, directly benefitting dentists, doctors, nurses, surgeons and the full range of allied health professionals underpinning high quality, safe clinical care. This innovative learning technology continues to be vigorously adopted within Scotland and the research methodology developed has led to significant follow-on research.
i-DAT has developed an open infrastructure for `harvesting' and visualising data to support collaborative interdisciplinary projects in environmental, social and cultural contexts. Framed as a series of `Operating Systems' this research contributes to the strategic activities of not-for-profit, public, private and community sectors, including Arts Council England, Plymouth City Council, UNESCO Biosphere and World Heritage Sites. Through i-DAT's National Portfolio Organisation status, this research delivers significant audience numbers and new work and contributes to and can be measured against impacts in relation to civil society, cultural life, policy making, public services and, to a lesser extent, economic prosperity.
UCL's pioneering use of 3D body surface scanning and national anthropometric surveys has had impact in the fashion industry and healthcare. In 2008, a UCL spinout, Sizemic, was founded to sell clothing size charts and fit mannequins based on the UK survey data, helping manufacturers and retailers improve the fit of their clothing, and reduce their product development times and costs. Sizemic now has 10 employees and a turnover of £1m. The research also led to other national sizing surveys, including in Germany (2008/9), Thailand (2009/10) and Mexico (2010), with results used for product development. In 2009, UCL built a prototype 3D-healthcare system for GPs and established a company, ShapeDynamics, to support the platform. The software is being tested at a private healthcare practice in London. Another UCL spinout, Bodymetrics, has commercialised body scanners for use as a clothes-fitting aid in stores.
The Geometric Modelling and Pattern Recognition (GMPR) Group at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) has developed and patented internationally-known line projection technologies for fast 3D scan, reconstruction and recognition. Three types of impact can be identified: (i) through our patents, we have licensed to companies in Europe and the USA; (ii) these technologies are being transferred to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across Europe, through the European funded MARWIN and ADMOS projects; and (iii) social and cultural impacts are evidenced by the 3D scanning of representative items from the Museums Sheffield Metalwork Collection which have been made publicly available on the web, and through the `Man of Steel' community project where a landmark sculpture will form a gateway to South Yorkshire and the Sheffield City Region.
The reduction of spatial variation in the quality of reproduced sound within a defined space using varied loudspeaker placements is a significant challenge for sound engineers. Dr Bruce Wiggins has conducted research into encoding, decoding and processing algorithms using Ambisonics, a system based around full-sphere sound reproduction. The outcomes of the research have been made accessible to the wider community by the creation of a suite of software plug-ins (WigWare), a production workflow, and associated teaching materials which can enable commercial audio workstations to benefit from Ambisonics. There are numerous recorded instances of successful use.
SubSafe is a high-fidelity, real-time interactive simulation of a Royal Navy (RN) submarine. The SubSafe programme has improved the delivery of spatial awareness and safety training for RN recruits, over and above legacy practices (such as PowerPoint, "chalk-and-talk" and technical manuals). It has also played a major role in influencing industrial and defence agency uptake of simulation technologies across a range of applications. UK (MoD), Australian and Canadian national strategies relating to future exploitation of simulation in training and concept visualisation have been positively influenced by the success of this programme. SubSafe has also been instrumental in launching a new, innovative games-based simulation company.