Picture a Whole New View on your Handheld

As digital image data gets denser and our screens get smaller, innovations in visualization software are necessary to overcome data claustrophobia. We need to locate, navigate and understand the images that are available. We need to do it quickly without getting overwhelmed or lost.

We are all aware that software applications are becoming more sophisticated. To handle increasing congestion in digital environments, industry experts have called for innovations in information visualization. Key areas of investigation include: intuitive navigation and access to relevant information in high-density data, real-time visualization to address specialized analysis needs, and options for seamless GIS/image exploitation. These areas also pose interesting challenges in the design of user interfaces. How can an analyst examine the detail available in the latest high-resolution satellite imagery and still maintain complete situational awareness of the bigger picture? How can travelers see the streets leading to their hotel on their web map servers without zooming reference points such as the airport and conference centre off the screen? Is it possible to view the parking options near this evening’s restaurant on our in-car navigation system without losing sight of our current highway location?




The small screen sizes of handheld wireless devices amplify the challenges of detailed data visualization experienced by PC users. Users want the ability to use the same data-rich applications that present visualization challenges on 17” office PC monitors on their handhelds. Even with current limitations there is no denying the usefulness of handheld data viewing in both commercial and military applications. GIS and CAD professionals are able to make informed in-field decisions working from the latest maps and drawings carried with them on handheld devices. The combination of GPS with GIS technologies and handheld devices has enabled efficient in-field data collection and updating of existing GIS databases. In the military, every soldier’s location will soon be mapped on a network and displayed on each individual’s wireless device providing situational awareness to everyone in the field. Wireless devices enabling mobile and informed populations have enormous efficiency and lifesaving potential. With better visualization techniques we can expect efficiency and accuracy gains in viewing and editing large images on small screens. This in turn will lead to more widespread adoption of handheld applications.

Detail-in-context visualization is one solution to these “screen real-estate” problems. Much research has been conducted in this area of information visualization. Studies such as Gutwin and Skopik’s Fisheye Views are Good for Large Steering Tasks (2002) (in submission: http://hci.usask.ca/publications/2002/steering/index.xml) have shown that navigation and efficiency are improved by using detail-in-context lenses instead of traditional non-distortion techniques such as panning or radar views. Specifically the study demonstrated that detail-in-context lenses “were faster than the non-distorting techniques” and that “in situations where magnification is required, distortion-oriented views can be effective representations for interactive tasks.”

Detail-in-Context viewing can also provide a convenient way of saving bandwidth. In retrieving the detail in large images stored offsite, only the relevant portion of the image needs to be transferred. This further improves efficiency in wireless applications.


PDT expands the useful display space available on handheld and wireless devices. (Satellite image courtesy SPACE IMAGING ©)

Canadian-based IDELIX Software Inc. has developed one such detail-in-context virtual lensing technology called Pliable Display Technology (PDT) that enables OEMs and system integrators to incorporate the associated efficiency gains of detail-in-context viewing capabilities into their software applications. IDELIX has taken this concept to the next level, through a patents-pending geometry engine that “undisplaces” the data so users can take advantage of editing and other host application tools right in the magnified area of interest and the shoulder region of the PDT lens. The integration of PDT into two of Boeing Autometric’s photogrammetry applications has resulted in efficiency gains of plus 20% for their end-users performing quality control and vector data collection tasks.

In July of 2003, IDELIX Software Inc. will release version 3.0 of the Pliable Display Technology Software Development Kit (PDT SDK). IDELIX will include in this release a .NET extension to the SDK allowing software developers to embed PDT into their applications that target the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR).

In order to create the .NET wrapper for the SDK, the IDELIX team worked hard to encapsulate most of the functionality of PDT into a few C++ classes. These classes are collectively known as PDTfi. By using common return types and simple parameter types in PDTfi, it was possible to create a new set of classes using “Managed Extensions to C++” to target the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR) environment. These new managed classes are what can be used to write a .NET application that uses PDT.

The release of a .NET extension to the PDT SDK may be of particular importance for developing wireless/handheld applications. With the release of Microsoft’s .NET compact framework (a subset of the .NET framework) and Windows CE .NET (an operating system for smart devices) it has become easier to write applications that can run on desktop machines, servers and mobile devices.

The addition of the .NET extension to the PDT SDK is one of the steps IDELIX is taking to translate PDT’s efficiency gains to the handheld market and provide a comprehensive and intuitive solution to the screen real estate problem. The IDELIX development team has completed demonstration applications for the Compaq iPaq®, Windows® CE, and the Zaurus™. Further information about this innovative visualization solution can be found at: http://www.idelix.com/handheld.shtml.

News-wireless home

---

Does your company have breaking news, a solution, event, or scoop that WDN should know about?
Send details to editors@wirelessdevnet.com