Remote visualization and navigation of large (one to 10 million) triangle dataset images (virtual reality) is inadequate for most citizens with regular phone-line connections to the web. With the advent of asynchronous digital subscriber lines (ADSL) by the year 2000, the demand as well as applications for such visualization are expected to increase substantially. This project will use the cutting-edge developments for rapid rendering on single-processor workstation graphics, such as selective and progressive refinement, caching and prefetching, and geometry compression to enable efficient remote visualization over low-bandwidth networks. Phase I will establish the feasibility of using selective and progressive refinement strategies for visualization over the network. Success will be measured from the performance results of a prototype system that is built. Based upon the results of the Phase I feasibility study, the most suitable algorithms for caching and prefetching as well as geometry compression will be examined in Phase II.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:Commercial interest in this product should approach the same level as streaming video and audio products. Potential clients include those wishing to do remote visualization for 3D graphics over the internet (e.g., 3D weather maps, human atlases, real-estate market, and video-games), especially those with limited-bandwidth phone lines.
