daytaOhio is headquartered at the newly constructed Joshi Research Center on the campus of Wright State University.

Data-intensive systems for oil and gas exploration — improved blood and tissue-matching in national databases — virtual planning for orthopedic surgeons or nurses — aerospace simulation — virtual nursing. These are just a few examples of projects supported by daytaOhio, a non-profit organization on the campus of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. The secret behind daytaOhio's success is their cutting-edge visualization — powered by Barco.

The Dayton region in western Ohio is a dynamic hub for technology, and over the years, a host of high-tech companies have sprung up around Dayton's Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the home for the Air Force Research Laboratories. One of the most forward-thinking firms is daytaOhio, a company clearly focused on the data management requirements for today's large organizations. "Due to the internet, advancements in IT and increasing globalization, every company is struggling with an overabundance of data, which slows down decision-making," explained Ken Berta, executive vice president for daytaOhio. "As the effective use of information is key to success in today's knowledge-driven economy, we wanted to help Ohio’s business, academic and government institutions to effectively acquire, manage, analyze and visualize these large volumes of data. That's how daytaOhio was born."

The Beating Heart: Next-generation Visualization

The “Viz Lab” is the heart of daytaOhio and includes the Barco CADWall system and I-Space immersive virtual environment.

The goal of daytaOhio's team was to create a professional demonstration environment in which businesses could visualize and evaluate data more intuitively. “Visualizing helps to bring intelligence to information, to extract the ‘so what’ from raw data, and interconnect the appropriate resources. This visualization results in better decision-making and over time, enhanced business success,” continued Berta. The State of Ohio, five universities and a series of private partners were highly enthusiastic about the idea. In turn, they raised the necessary funds to implement a state-of-the-art visualization complex at the new Joshi Center on the campus of Wright State University.

The beating heart of the research center is the visualization environment. “We insisted on teaming up with the leading player in this field,” explained Berta. “To us, Barco is the Rolls Royce of visualization. Their high-quality equipment, broad product offerings and innovative solutions are beyond compare. Equally important was the fact that Barco has a sales office and manufacturing base in our region, which enabled us to join forces with a local business.”

Custom-made Concept

Barco's comprehensive display solution effectively meets daytaOhio’s unique visualization needs.

The technical collaboration between daytaOhio and Barco hit the mark. Ken Hunter, Market Director for Barco’s virtual and augmented reality business, commented on the partnership. “At the very start, daytaOhio was unsure to what extent virtualization would be possible,” said Hunter. “So, beyond providing a bare solution, we conceived the entire concept together.”

Because the project was highly sophisticated entailing a fully customized solution, Barco assembled an entire team of experienced professionals. The team included a “lead” to analyze the challenges and craft the solution, a project manager, and an application engineer to check the feasibility and draw up a proposal. Technicians and engineers from various backgrounds handled the installation.

Stunning Virtualization Solution

Barco’s CADWall allows daytaOhio users to view multiple data and video sources in multiple mono and stereo 3D windows on a large 1:1 scale display.

Within five month, daytaOhio’s impressive virtualization solution went live in multiple rooms. The centerpiece is an immersive visualization environment, including Barco’s large CADWall and the I-Space. “The CADWall is a 1:1 scale, large-screen rear-projection wall that incorporates a two-channel, edge-blended Barco Galaxy DLP projector,” explained Hunter. “It’s driven by the XDS-1000 external desktop system.”

“The I-Space is a truly immersive environment that surrounds the user with 3D rear-projected virtual imagery,” said Hunter, “and this environment is also powered by four Galaxy projectors.” The main visualization room is networked to two satellite conference rooms, also equipped with Barco’s intelligent projection systems.

3D Stereo Visualization in Action

With Barco technology at the core, following are several key examples of how daytaOhio’s technical expertise is helping improve workflows within various professional disciplines.

• Complex Interpretation and Knowledge Creation
  By interpreting sound waves, geophysicists use seismic data collected from the ocean floor to analyze different densities of rock, sand, salt, oil and gas. “Until now, the challenge has been to analyze data represented with flat 2D images, and then to create 3D renderings,” said geophysicist Mike Zebrowski of Hess Corp. “It’s becomes a very time-consuming task.”
  
  Particularly difficult to interpret are the layers of salt sandwiched under hardened caps of shale or rock, and locating the layers of crude oil and natural gas underneath. In a program underway at daytaOhio, that undersea data is converted into interactive visualizations, enabling the geophysicists to more easily interpret the findings. The oil companies involved in the project are particularly impressed with the speed at which the data interpretation occurs — in days rather than weeks.
• Process Re-engineering and Optimization
  One method for improving human performance is to integrate multiple, disparate data sources in order to optimize the performance of a task. For military combat search and rescue, one successful technique uses directional audio in combination with a virtual city street layout to help rescuers navigate and signal imminent threats. At daytaOhio, the process was optimized by adding a second visualization platform, which included an aerial overview of the field as provided by a helicopter or unmanned drone. By integrating layered sensory data in this manner, rescuers and first responders can be guided to an emergency with fewer mishaps.

daytaOhio’s Holodeck

Each of the remarkable applications described above underscore the collaborative success of daytaOhio’s virtualization solutions, driven by Barco projection technology. “Barco’s system is fully tailored to our specific needs,” said Berta, “and the solution has exceeded our expectations. First and foremost are the system’s brightness, high resolution and color depth, which we had come to expect of Barco display systems. But we never imagined the countless possibilities for processing and visualizing large and varied data streams.”

“Within this environment, users can simultaneously view 3D stereo and mono data from various sources — DVD, video, network — in different windows. It’s one of the XDS-1000 display system’s most unique assets,” explained Hunter. “The multi-sided I-Space is like the Star Trek Holodeck — it surrounds and immerses the researcher or the user within the data, and allows them to interact with it. And because this visualization technology is network-centric, it’s ideal for collaborative analysis and decision-making. Users can share information, visualize it and analyze it between the meeting rooms and the visualization lab.”

“On top of that, the system is very user-friendly,” added Berta. “All the systems are desktop-integrated and can be operated easily with the mouse and keyboard, thus eliminating the need for further training.”

Both the Barco CADWall and I-Space virtual reality systems at daytaOhio serve as design and engineering tools for interaction with stereoscopic 3D models.

In addition to their role as a presentation tool for many technical and educational applications, both the Barco CADWall and I-Space virtual reality systems serve as superb design and engineering tools. As true partners and with great success, Barco and daytaOhio have joined forces to show businesses how to implement these revolutionary analytical and collaborative technologies. Since the opening of daytaOhio’s visualization center in October 2006, it has attracted countless visitors from all over the US and beyond. As a result, numerous innovative projects are now in the pipeline. “Our ultimate goal is to stimulate local economic growth in our region,” noted Berta. “Thanks to Barco’s visualization systems, we’re well on our way to helping companies throughout the region become competitive players in today’s global market.”

For more information on advanced visualization, please visit Barco's resource center at www.barco.com/virtualreality.

For more information on the Barco solutions mentioned in this daytaOhio application article, please use the following links:

• I-Space
• CADWall
• XDS display management system
• Galaxy NW-12 projection system