The East Midlands e-Science Centre (EMeSC) of Excellence is a joint initiative between Loughborough University and the University of Nottingham. EMeSC Loughborough’s research expertise concentrates on immersive computing environments (high resolution interactive visualization) and pervasive computing environments (lightweight distributed computing). Particular emphasis is placed on the measurement of human performance as a tool to measure the effectiveness of novel 3D computing/visualization environments. Human performance data is used to better inform the design of new user interfaces leading to easier to use and more effective operation. Multi-modal user interfaces have been a particular research thrust over recent years and has been based on the development of an understanding in cognitive performance.

Research Themes

Research within the e-Science framework is focused (funded through the e-Science RealityGrid Project and the e-Science Centre of Excellence) on improving user interfaces for remote/distributed visualization (set within an immersive computing environment). This work tackles the complex computing challenges of interaction (single and multi-site) across a GRID infrastructure. Loughborough is addressing the following:

• Immersive Computing Environments for e-Science. The GRID will rely on distributing high fidelity visualization tasks across the GRID. Scientists at the remote sites will need to be able to interact cooperatively with each other by steering the computation. Loughborough’s expertise in dealing with the human factors issues of highly interactive immersive computing environments is being exploited to improve user interaction across the GRID and so reduce the risks of user acceptance.
• Interactive Pervasive Computing Environments across e-Science Infrastructure. The GRID will become the future pervasive computing environment and this will bring new challenges for the user and the way they will interact with increasing information sources. In order to make the information available to a growing GRID based community new methods of data access needs to be explored. Loughborough are working with Nottingham to develop new interaction styles and paradigms. Human factors issues of computational steering, remote visualization and lightweight clients are being researched.
• Remote/Distributed Visualization within e-Science. Loughborough is working on the use of remote/distributed visualization to facilitate improved scientific understanding between remote located scientists. Issues of where the visualization is taking part and how users should interact with it are being researched. The objective is the development of a platform independent interface that can cope with multiple users across a GRID infrastructure.
• User performance evaluation of e-Science User Interfaces. At the heart of Loughborough’s work in the above areas is a desire to measure task performance against the user. Methodologies and metrics are being evolved which will allow us to understand the complex interactions that are taking place. These approached will be fully utilised in the development of efficient user interfaces for the GRID.

Major Facilities

Loughborough’s facilities are based on a suite of integrated immersive computing environments that are linked to a new High Performance Computing and Visualization Centre funded by SRIF. These facilities have been housed in new research laboratories based in Holywell Park, Loughborough University. The Loughborough facilities are based on high-end computational and visualization resources as well as cluster based computational and visualization systems. Specific visualization tools include:

• 5M Vision Dome
• 4M Vision Dome
• 2 x Stereoscopic Immersive Walls
• Panoramic 3 channel Reality Centre
• 2 x Immersive Workbench
• Desktop stereoscopic visualization systems
• 3D tracking systems and a wide range of visualization tools.

These state of the art facilities readily support the sort of complex user interactions that are required by today’s researchers. All facilities are rapidly reconfigurable and are supported by powerful software development tools and various Onyx visualization computers and Origin servers. Additional facilities have been provided through the Research Council, HEFCE and Industrial funding.

The centre’s Access Grid node has being integrated with the visualization systems to create an advanced collaborative environment. Loughborough has invested an additional £1.5M into new HPC and visualization facilities. This funding has provided a 200 node Beowulf cluster, Altix SMP machine, Onyx IR4 and various visualization systems. The facilities are also supplemented by SGI PRISM based visualization machines.