Visualization

About the UITS Advanced Visualization Lab (AVL)

On this page:

Overview
Distributed systems
Centralized (reservable) facilities
Consulting services
Training opportunities and learning resources
Request a tour or demonstration
Acknowledge use of AVL systems and support

Overview

The UITS Advanced Visualization Lab (AVL) promotes and supports the innovative application of visual technologies to enhance research, education, creative activity, and community outreach missions of Indiana University. AVL systems and services are provided as an integrated resource by the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology (OVPIT) through the Research Technologies division of UITS and are available at no direct cost for routine use, testing, and demonstration by qualified IU students, faculty, and staff. The majority of AVL technologies are installed in a range of accessible campus spaces, such as lobbies, workspaces, and Student Technology Centers (STCs); additional and more experimental technologies are accessible in centrally located AVL spaces, such as the NEXT labs at IU Bloomington and IUPUI. The AVL also provides expert consulting services, training opportunities, and learning resources related to visualization.

Distributed systems

AVL distributed systems include IQ-Walls for ultra-resolution visualization and IQ-Labs (formerly known as Reality Labs) for virtual reality.

IQ-Walls: Large-format, ultra-resolution tiled displays for visualization and collaboration; for more, see About IQ-Walls at IU
IQ-Labs: Virtual reality classrooms and laboratories for teaching and individual exploration

Centralized (reservable) facilities

The AVL provides IU's most advanced visualization systems in its NEXT (New, Emerging, eXperimental Technologies) Labs at IUB (IC 105) and IUPUI (IT 403). Resources available in NEXT Labs or in special installations include:

Reconfigurable IQ-Wall: A large-format, ultra-resolution display (also known as the ConCAVE) with eight columns of four monitors that can be reconfigured for innovative experimental or production visualization and collaboration
Experimental virtual and augmented reality systems: A suite of cutting-edge VR and AR technologies, including the PIPES (Programmable Immersive Peripheral Environmental System) mixed reality interface system, wireless VIVE Pro headsets, and the Reality Stage
Advanced media devices: A suite of prosumer devices for producing 3D videos and capturing ultra-resolution panoramic images
Science on a Sphere: A spherical display for presenting scientific and informational visualizations, and creating dynamic visual experiences
IQ-Tables: 65-inch multi-touch monitors that can be reconfigured into table, drafting table, or landscape mode for exhibitions and multi-user engagement

Consulting services

The AVL offers short-term and extended consulting services for IU educators, creative artists, and researchers seeking to use advanced visualization technologies to improve the quality of teaching and learning, expand the boundaries of art, and find solutions to difficult problems hidden within massive sets of data.

Scientific visualization (SciVis) consultations can help scientists understand, illustrate, and extract insight from their data. SciVis data typically have a physical structure with explicit spatial and/or temporal coordinates (for example, molecular structures, anatomical scans, astronomical simulations, and engineering simulations).

Information visualization (InfoVis) consultations can help researchers understand, illustrate, and extract insight from data that have no natural spatial coordinates using a variety of novel 2D, 3D, and temporal representations.

The AVL also offers consultations on the following:

Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality
Spatial tracking and scanning
Advanced media techniques
Visualization and graphics software
Advanced hardware systems

To view representative AVL projects, see AVL Showcase.

To schedule a consultation, contact the AVL .

Training opportunities and learning resources

AVL training opportunities and online learning resources are available to everyone; for more, see:

Request a tour or demonstration

The primary purpose of AVL facility demonstrations is to promote new uses of AVL facilities by the members of the IU community. IU faculty, students, and staff with specific visualization, mixed reality, or advance media projects or interests may contact the AVL to arrange a tour.

Note:

Due to limited staff resources, the AVL cannot provide tours for groups outside the IU community or for the general public. The AVL recommends that such groups contact the Research Technologies Collaboration and Engagement Support Group (CESG) or one of the AVL's outreach affiliates (IUPUI Informatics or IT Communications) to inquire about arranging tours or demonstrations.

Acknowledge use of AVL systems and support

If your work makes use of or otherwise benefits from AVL technologies and/or support, please acknowledge or reference the "Advanced Visualization Laboratory at Indiana University" in any resulting scholarly printed works, web pages, talks, online publications, and/or presentations. The AVL is a unit of the Research Technologies division of UITS and is affiliated with IU's Pervasive Technology Institute (PTI).