On the Application of Computer Visualization In the Field of Transportation Planning, System Design, and Public Involvement:
“Where do People Learn to Do this Stuff?”
Presentation by: Ron Hughes and Greg Ferrara Visual Analytics, Modeling and Simulation (VAMS) Institute for Transportation Research and Education North Carolina State University y Raleigh, NC
as a part of:
“Living In the Knowledge Society“ C-PATH NSF Workshop North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, NC April 17-19, 2008 17-
(from Santa Clara workshop)
Graphics/Visualization: Identified at Santa Clara Workshop as key ‘computing concepts computing concepts’
Computer graphics is the art and science of communicating information using images that are generated and presented through computation. Visualization. The field of visualization seeks to determine and present underlying correlated structures and relationships in both scientific (computational and medical sciences) and more abstract datasets. The prime objective of the presentation should be to communicate the information in a dataset so as to enhance understanding. understanding Often referred to as ‘information visualization or information visualization’ ‘scientific visualization.’
Focus Areas: 3D Modeling Animation Presentation Cartography Scene Modeling, Animation, Cartography, visualization, Charts, Supply Chain, Business Intelligence
VISUAL ANALYTICS, MODELING, AND SIMULATION
Scheduled Classroom Training • ArcGIS Intro and Intermediate • ArcGIS Working with the Geodatabase • GIS Training – Customized • Integrating GPS and GIS
SPATIAL DATA TRAINING AND APPLICATIONS GIS Training and Applications
On-Line GIS Truck Crash Database (2001-present)
VISUAL ANALYTICS, MODELING, AND SIMULATION
SPATIAL DATA TRAINING AND APPLICATIONS GIS Training and Applications
MODELING AND SIMULATION Current f C t focus on use of VISSIM f micro-simulation of interactions between vehicles and pedestrians (both sighted and blind) at roundabouts and channelized turn lanes (work with NIH and NCHRP)
Of particular interest here: the ‘Visual’ component
DIFFERENT WAYS OF VIEWING THE WORLD
2D Engineering Plans
MicroMicro-Simulation AVI File Outputs 3D ComputerComputerGenerated Models
In this case, roundabouts
Satellite or Aerial Photo View
(from Google Earth)
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with roundabouts: there’s a good example right here in Greensboro G b
Looking North g
From Google Earth
W. McGee St and S. Greene St
Looking Northwest
The Common Thread
DoD and aerospace work in computer image g generation for flight simulation; visual database generation; man-in-the-loop engineering simulation for aerospace design; and graphics component of Operations Research and System Analysis dS t A l i
CURRENT INTEREST IN VISUALIZATION
Current work with C t k ith Transportation Research Board (TRB) and its Visualization in Transportation Technical Committee
Visualization applications in the transportation field, until recently, have focused primarily on enabling non-engineering ‘customers’ to ‘see’ what a proposed design was going to ‘look like.’ like ’
(From FHWA/FDOT S. Roosevelt Blvd Project-Hughes 1997) Project Hughes
Versus how it was going ‘to operate’
From VISSIM simulation of Hillsborough Street roundabout.
The skills and training required to visually represent the ‘appearance’ of something (e.g., a modern roundabout) are different from those required to model and simulate its operation . . . . p
as are the skills required to ‘integrate’ the two
The Visualization Committee of the Transportation Research Board has identified seven core research needs
These are available for review on TRB’s website, or , You can also link to these via the ‘Research’ Sub Committee page of the TRB Visualization Committee’s website at www.trbvis.org
One of those seven ‘core’ needs is in the area of EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Development of an Education and Training Curriculum and Courseware for Transportation Vi T t ti Visualization li ti Committee: ABJ95, Visualization in Transportation Date Posted: 07/23/2007 Date Modified: 08/03/2007
The Need
Despite th i D it the increased use of visualization within th d f i li ti ithi the planning and engineering components of the transportation systems development p p y p process, there , remains no needs-based 'curriculum' upon which to base needsinstructional development efforts oriented to providing the education and training opportunities required by practitioners, project and program managers, and senior transportation system executives. There is a need to executives identify 'what' people at different levels in the systems development process need to know, the levels to which skills need to be developed as well as the identification developed, of alternative means by which such training and instruction are best delivered.
Thus, Thus the objective is . . .
To identify the education and training needs of individuals from the practitioner level, through the project and program management level, to the senior executive level for the application of visualization within the system development process; to identify recommended ‘courses’ or other training venues and delivery systems; to provide preliminary ‘course outlines’ for education and training at each level of user
The education and training need expressed the TRB research need statement goes beyond the obvious need to train persons in off-theoff-the-shelf computer graphics skills This is not just about training in Photoshop, 3D Photoshop Studio Max, Google Sketch-up, CommunityViz, Sketchetc. etc
Why is there a broader need?
Because the current Transportation Authorization Bill p (SAFETEA(SAFETEA-LU)
REQUIRES
that all new federally funded transportation initiatives (or improvement projects) incorporate visualization p as a part of the planning and public involvement process process.
And furthermore, ,
Because the use of visualization for planning is functionally different than the use of visualization for engineering design design. It s It’s about the integrated use of GIS and 3D/4D visual database modeling and simulation Visualization f planning i more closely related t th Vi li ti for l i is l l l t d to the goals of ‘information visualization’ and to a lesser extent scientific visualization (more “visualizing the intangibles”) Visualization for planning is more about ‘intensive visual thinking. thinking ’ It’s about visualizing those elements that are not g normally ‘seen’ but yet are critical to design and acceptance.’
First Things First
Before we can ‘teach it,’ we need t understand B f ‘t h it ’ d to d t d ‘what it is.’ ‘What it is’ in this case is more of a cognitive and communications i i ti issue th it i a graphics arts than its is hi t issue. It is not ‘engineering’ per se. There is a need for applied research before we develop best practices . . . before we can teach d l b t ti b f t h others those practices.
FOOTNOTE: • It’s not just about teaching the mechanics of making the tool work. It’s also about teaching how to use the tool in its operational ‘context’ It is insufficient to simply describe the context as ‘planning’ – or ‘math,’ - or ‘physics,’ or-whatever. We need to get beyond our wanting to say that “3D Visualization improves the teaching of math”, or that “3D visualization skills can make a better engineer.” engineer ” It’s not about using computers to simply enhance old skills, but rather to change the very nature of the way we do things. things
•
•
•
AND • We need to make a distinction between the ability of the technology to engage the user (i.e., to make our presentations more ‘sticky’) and its ability to result in a quantifiable change in the user s behavior, level of user’s understanding, or whatever.
Planning is about more than pictures
The Planning Process Roadmap (http://www.smartgrowthtools.org/index.php)
The l f the i t Th role of th pictures and imagery is to augment/facilitate the main di i t t/f ilit t th i tasks of collaboration, engagement, and decision making
X
O
Increasingly there is a need for a middle man, a facilitator, between the end user and the developer . . . the individual who can deduce some essential form and structure from the complexity of the user’s task so that the efforts of the developer and those in the traditional academic disciplines are more specifically and effectively focused on the relationship between his ‘product’ product and the user’s ‘need’ THE DEVELOPER THE TECHNICALLY INCLINED DOMAIN EXPERT
THE END USER
ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES
( ) Conference, There is some evidence (LIKES(1) Conference 2008) that there is presently a disconnect within the traditional academic community of computer science y p in terms of the basic computer science (CS) curriculum and the graphics/visualization interests of those in the IEEE/SIGGRAPH community as well as those in the it ll th i th applied GIS community
Living in the Knowledge Society (LIKES): A collaborative effort on the part of NC A&T St t U i State University, Vill it Villanova U i University, Santa Clara U i it S t Cl University, it and Virginia Tech, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of its CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education (CPATH) Program . The above observation is based upon discussions in the first two in a series of four workshops held as part of the LIKES grant.
A different tool set required for planning
CommunityViz: CommunityViz: A Good Example of a Planning ‘Tool”
Seeing what is behind the scenes: g
The underlying modeling and simulation
Bottom Line
It is now ‘expected’ (mandated, if you like) mandated, that visualization will be used in the planning l i as well as engineering des g and public e e g ee g design a d pub c involvement stages of transportation system development. ft t ti t d l t
Bottom Line
In the area of visualization applications within the field of transportation, there are critical education and training needs
Bottom Line
The most urgent need lies in area of visualization applications to system planning.
Bottom Line
Clear need for applied research in the area of planning applications before best practices can be identified and ‘taught’ taught
What is ITRE trying to do to address the education y g and training need with respect to visualization applications within the field of transportation?
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR TRANSPORTATION VISUALIZATION RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
A Proposal Submitted to: The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Visualization Task Force (ABJ95T)
By Ronald G. Hughes, PhD North Carolina State University Institute for Transportation Research and Education and Head, TRB Visualization Task Force , Research Needs Subcommittee In Conjunction With: Mladen Volk, PhD Associate Vice-Provost for IT and Interim Chairman, Department of Computer Science Theresa-Marie Rhyne, PhD Director, NCSU Center for Visualization and Analytics Nagui Rouphail P E PhD Rouphail, P.E., Director NCSU Institute for Transportation Research and Education George List, P.E., PhD Chairman NCSU Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering January 2006
Visualization Center of Excellence
• APPLIED RESEARCH AND TECH BASE DEVELOPMENT IN A DYNAMIC PROJECT DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT • TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION SYNTHESIS AND TRANSFER • DEVELOPMENT OF VISUALIZATION COMPETENCIES FOR TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS • VISUAL LEARNING ENHANCEMENTS TO ENGINEERING CURRICULUM
Project Development and Applied Research (Focus on Effectiveness)
Engineering Education and Training g g g
Visualization Skills Development (multi-level)
Visual Learning Methods and Enhancement
Synthesis of Best Practices
Technology and Applications Development p
Technology and Information Transfer
Other Domain Applications
Practitioner Community
Key NCSU Partner:
The Renaissance C Computing Institute
Renci Computing Institute p g
A Statewide Virtual Organization
For starters, read starters
www.trbviz.org
For more information
Ron Hughes, PhD R H h ron_hughes@ncsu.edu 919-515-8523 Greg Ferrara, MA gpferrara@ncsu.edu 919-515-8656
NC State University Institute for Transportation Research and Education www.itre.ncsu.edu