Hello and welcome to Melvin's Journal! I'm an Applied Math and Computer Science student at Brown. My fascination for Virtual Reality (VR) was sparked after visiting the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Boston, where I saw his paintings come to life in a 360° immersive setting. My interest with data visualization also emerged after examining breast cancer data biases in National Cancer Institute histology datasets in my Computer Vision class.

Together, this is my first time exploring Virtual Reality software and technologies for immersive data visualization. Join me as I delve into the exciting world of immersive and collaborative VR data visualization!

before after

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1 | 4 | Goal 1: articulate VR visualization software tool goals, requirements, and capabilities;

1 | 3 | Goal 2: construct meaningful evaluation strategies for software libraries, frameworks, and applications; strategies include surveys, interviews, comparative use, case studies, and web research;

1 | 5 | Goal 3: execute tool evaluation strategies;

0 | 3 | Goal 4: build visualization software packages;

1 | 4 | Goal 5: comparatively analyze software tools based on evaluation;

1 | 5 | Goal 6: be familiar with a number of VR software tools and hardware;

1 | 5 | Goal 7: think critically about software;

1 | 4 | Goal 8: communicate ideas more clearly;

0 | 4 | Goal 9: demonstrate VR tools to non-users;

PROPOSALS

Project 1 Proposal:  Proposal Plan Doc

Presentation for Project 1 Proposal: Project 1 Proposal - Immersive VR Visualization of Air Quality Data

In-class Activity: Melvin's In-Class Activity Project 1 

End Presentation for Project 1: End Presentation

Project 2 Proposal: Project Plan Doc

Presentation for Project 2 Proposal: 

Poster <ADD LINK>

In-class Activity <ADD LINK>

Public Demo <ADD LINK>

ALL OTHER WIKI CONTRIBUTIONS

CONTRIBUTION 1: Home Page: Fixed Outdated Links, Button HTML, and Cheat sheets

CONTRIBUTION 2: A Page Explaining VR Applications in Environmental Science

CONTRIBUTION 3: A Page Evaluating UX Methods for Data Visualization

CONTRIBUTION 4: A Page Explaining Collaborative VR Storytelling 

CONTRIBUTION 5: A Page Evaluating Flow Immersive Software for Collaborative Data Visualization

CONTRIBUTION 6: Additions to Evaluating Glitch WebVR Software

CONTRIBUTION 7: A Page Comparing WebVR Mapping Projects with Evaluations AFrame City and Aframe Globe Component

CONTRIBUTION 8:  Additions to Scientific Data Page

CONTRIBUTION 9: A Page Comparing Environmental API Data Collection Methods

CONTRIBUTION 10: A Page Explaining How to Make Calls using Postman & Parse Data from Ambee API

HOURS journal

1/26, 2 hours

• Journal set up page for HW1

• Joined slack channel

• Introduced myself on slack channel

• Explored website, syllabus, and previous research.

1/27 - 3 hours

• Read Kenny Gruchalla's bio, preparing for discussion sessions.

• Questions for Kenny Gruchalla, Tuesday's NREL visitor, who will give an introduction to VR assisted research software at NREL

  • What were some challenges you faced while becoming an expert in using VR assisted research software?

  • Do you have any advice for someone interested in researching VR?

  • What are some skills that you think are important for scientific research that you've experienced throughout your career?

• Reviewed research papers and website overview, made 3 changes to website

Nine Separate Changes (Applied 3):

Takes 10 minutes:

• • Google Sites cheat sheet needs to be updated on main page (outdated)

  • Jump back to top button points to wrong page (html code goes to 2018 page)

  • "Into to WebVR" link on homepage does not respond when clicking

Takes 1 hour:

• • Create chart of most popular VR hardware and software (include prices, popularity, etc)

  • Add comparison table for VR development software

  • Update the Joining the Team page with proper details

Takes 10 hours:

• • Make an introduction to Brown VR Resources page that includes helpful tutorials to campus resources such as the YURT, CAVE, and other clubs, organizations, labs, etc.

  • Update the overall user interface of the website to be of a more techy background with interactive VR graphics.

  • Change the left sidebar to have less tabs cramped together, maybe figure out a way to open up to new page or have a better design.

1/31 - 2 hours

• Set up notes docs for classroom notes and ideas: 

  • https://docs.google.com/document/d/1os9MmmbvT7887LMl-rtaTRIsAdNsFOXViJR536KIq_0/edit?usp=sharing

• Exploring VR Software to research and evaluate for final project:

  • Unity, Unreal Engine, Google VR, Paraview, Adobe Photoshop 3D

2/1 - 3 hours

• Set up notes docs for classroom notes and project ideas: 

  • https://docs.google.com/document/d/1os9MmmbvT7887LMl-rtaTRIsAdNsFOXViJR536KIq_0/edit?usp=sharing

• Exploring Oculus with Jakobi during office hours

• Set up Paperspace, explored VR apps & Google Earth

2/4 - 5 hours

• Explored Google Earth VR and Google Home Web (+ Google Form)

• Downloaded and surveyed DinoVR application

Melvin's Google Earth VR Screenshots

2/5 - 1 hours

• Installed and surveyed Unity and Unreal Engine

2/6 - 5 hours

• Surveying technologies and reviewing wiki/web to solidify your 3-5 project ideas

  • Project 1: Virtual Virtual Reality Museum using Unity/Unreal Engine

    • 3 things I'll do: 

      1. Surveying 3-5 virtual reality software including Unity, Unreal Engine, and VR tools/frameworks for museum architecture building.

      2. Research data on virtual reality usage and explore CSCI 1951T site for useful data and comparisons to include in 3D museum.

      3. Use existing data on software technologies on site to form 1st draft and collect user feedback on rudimentary museum.

    • 1 class activity: invite classmates to try to use the different VR tools/frameworks and collect their feedback.

    • potential deliverables: a very detailed wiki section that presents current VR applications for museum building and list/comparison of software; a better user interface for the Brown wiki page

    • a more detailed wiki section presenting current VR applications on architecture and a list of related software; an architecture data VR representation work.

  • Project 2: Explore negative health effects of extended VR usage

    • 3 things I'll do: 

      1.  Research ergonomics, mental health effects, and motion sickness data on extended VR usage.

      2. Collect college student opinions on VR technology pros and cons (visualization, motion sickness, eye strain, etc).

      3. Compare and make wiki page on data and research on 

    • 1 class activity: invite classmates to try out different frenzy VR applications to see if they get dizzy

    • potential deliverables: a wiki page that has more data on ergonomics and motion sickness of using VR, comparing various applications of VR to see which cause more strain.

  • Project 3: VR Software for visualizing Partial Differential Equations 

    • 3 things I'll do: 

      1. Send out email to Professor Tabrizian at Brown about potential PDE visualization ideas as well as research available data on web.

      2.  Survey tools such as DinoYURT and explore the YURT at Brown to see if 3D visualization would help user understanding of concepts.

      3. Collect data and user feedback on whether 3D visualization of PDE's helps them understand more abstract concepts easier.

    • 1 class activity: invite VR and PDE classmates to explore YURT visualization and give feedback.

    • potential deliverables: a wiki page on using VR visualization for mathematics data & education, a 3D visualization model that helps pde and other math students better understand abstract concepts

2/7 - 5 hours

• Surveying technologies and reviewing wiki/web to solidify your 3-5 project ideas

  • Project 1: Virtual Virtual Reality Museum using Unity/Unreal Engine

    • 3 things I'll do: 

      1. Surveying 3-5 virtual reality software including Unity, Unreal Engine, and VR tools/frameworks for museum architecture building.

      2. Research data on virtual reality usage and explore CSCI 1951T site for useful data and comparisons to include in 3D museum.

      3. Use existing data on software technologies on site to form 1st draft and collect user feedback on rudimentary museum.

    • 1 class activity: invite classmates to try to use the different VR tools/frameworks and collect their feedback.

    • potential deliverables: a very detailed wiki section that presents current VR applications for museum building and list/comparison of software; a better user interface for the Brown wiki page

    • a more detailed wiki section presenting current VR applications on architecture and a list of related software; an architecture data VR representation work.

  • Project 2: Explore negative health effects of extended VR usage

    • 3 things I'll do: 

      1.  Research ergonomics, mental health effects, and motion sickness data on extended VR usage.

      2. Collect college student opinions on VR technology pros and cons (visualization, motion sickness, eye strain, etc).

      3. Compare and make wiki page on data and research on 

    • 1 class activity: invite classmates to try out different frenzy VR applications to see if they get dizzy

    • potential deliverables: a wiki page that has more data on ergonomics and motion sickness of using VR, comparing various applications of VR to see which cause more strain.

  • Project 3: VR Software for visualizing Partial Differential Equations 

    • 3 things I'll do: 

      1. Send out email to Professor Tabrizian at Brown about potential PDE visualization ideas as well as research available data on web.

      2.  Survey tools such as DinoYURT and explore the YURT at Brown to see if 3D visualization would help user understanding of concepts.

      3. Collect data and user feedback on whether 3D visualization of PDE's helps them understand more abstract concepts easier.

    • 1 class activity: invite VR and PDE classmates to explore YURT visualization and give feedback.

    • potential deliverables: a wiki page on using VR visualization for mathematics data & education, a 3D visualization model that helps pde and other math students better understand abstract concepts

2/6 - 1 hours

• Update Google Earth Videos and comment Project topics

• Read over articles on: Data Visualization, 

2/8 - 8 hours

• Update Google Earth Videos and comment Project topics

• Articles: 

  •  VR Movies to Watch 

  • VR - The Future of Movies

  • Data Visualization in VR 

  • Movie Industry Data

• Tools/Frameworks:

  • react-vr-player 

  • video-js-vr

  • vr-cinema

  • Netflix VR

  • Hulu VR

  • Youtube VR

• Select one project and create a plan.

  • Project: Exploring Video Development and Cinematic User Experience in VR

    • The goal of this project is to explore the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in enhancing the future of video graphics development and introducing interactive cinematic experiences. The project will focus on surveying current tools and frameworks for VR video development, exploring the feasibility of VR interactive film cinemas through user experience research, and building a brief movie industry data display (make web VR video interactive, if time).

  • In-class activity: Explore user experience by comparing interactive cinematic shorts and collecting classmates' feedback

  • Milestones:

    • 2/14 - General Video VR main wiki page, prepare for powerpoint, (wiki page evaluating streaming VR software, if time)

    • 2/16 - Guide on frameworks for visualizing data or film in VR, explore film related datasets (host webVR site, if time)

    • 2/23 - Tutorial on setting up VR streaming (integrate film data set on webVR site, if time)

    • 2/28 - Further research on VR film data, design in-class interactive activity

    • 3/02 - Able to launch in-class interactive activity, collect feedback. (host interactive activity on webVR site, if time)

    • 3/07 - Finish software evaluating and comparing based on my own experience.

    • 3/09 - Integrate classmate and users' feedback to contribute to wiki. Touch up wiki, put together poster/presentation.

2/11 - 4 hours

• Drafting project 1 feedback email

• Researching new topics in Collaborative Data Visualization

  • MRI/CTE Scans

  • Fluid Dynamics through recording from NREL Paraview data visualizations

  • Geographic data: air quality data, traffic data, climate change data

2/12 - 4 hours

Project Proposal

• Finalized Project Topic: Immersive VR data visualization of air quality pollution data

  • The goal of this project is to explore immersive VR visualization for air pollution data. The project will extensively research VR applications in Environmental Science, VR software for pollution particle visualization, and UX for various modes of data displays. All research will be displayed through the web wiki pages. Finally, the project will focus on hosting collaborative VR visualization experiences through WebVR and software frameworks to integrate collaboration and interaction into air pollution visualization.

• Existing Data sets on Air Quality (CSVs and APIs):

  • https://www.getambee.com/api/air-quality

  • https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/cityapiio/world-cities-air-quality-and-water-polution

  • https://github.com/vincentarelbundock/Rdatasets/blob/master/csv/datasets/airquality.csv

  • https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data

  • https://www.airnow.gov/

  • https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=3/27.92/-47.46

• Relevant Research:

  • Real-time Providence Air Quality: https://www.breatheprovidence.com/

  • Associations between Air Quality and Covid-19: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935121012251

  • Associations between Air Quality and historically red-lined areas: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.estlett.1c01012

  • Brown research faculty to contact: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/mhasting#Research

• Explored Technologies & Frameworks to use for data visualization:

  • Postman API: API client that makes it easy for developers to create, share, test and document APIs. 

• • A-Terrain: Cartography component for A-frame GL for creating VR environment

  • Vr-Wiz: Collaborative multiplayer VR client and server framework for data visualization powered by A-Frame and Socket.IO

  • Vr-Map: Framework platform for visualizing

• Project Proposal Plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uRiudOqFz6ziz_NLQ8m530UQfT-tuqOYhiwbwAMhfek/edit

2/12 - 10 hours

• Wiki Page: VR in Environmental Science

• Survey software/data/research: Postman API, A-Terrain, VR-Wiz, VR-Map, Kaggle/Ambee/EPA/Airnow.gov data sets, Breathe-Providence Research​

• Presentation for Project 1 Proposal Presentation: Project 1 Proposal - Immersive VR Visualization of Air Quality Data

2/13 - 4 hours

• Further research for Project Proposal Plan: stakeholders, technologies, etc.

• Finalize Project Proposal Plan Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uRiudOqFz6ziz_NLQ8m530UQfT-tuqOYhiwbwAMhfek/edit

2/15 - 7 hours

• Attended Office Hours with Jakobi: learned about python batch data scripting

• Data Cleaning Ambee Pollution Data using Postman API

  • 10,000 lattitude and longitude &Ambee limits 500 requests per business email account (rather time consuming).

• Rendering data visualization points in Flow immersive

• Created Flow Immersive wiki page

2/22 - 2.5 hours

• Set up and explored Volume Rendering & Paraview for in class activity.

• Reviewed wiki pages, documentation, and articles for volume rendering pollution particles:

  • https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5678282

  • https://www.clarity.io/blog/air-quality-measurements-series-particulate-matter

Melvin's Volume Rendering VR Screenshots

2/25 - 2.5 hours

• Began designing up Pollution VR Data Visualization and Storytelling UX template in class activity for Project 1

2/26 - 7 hours

• Cleaned 1500+ Cities from Ambee Air pollution Data

• Set up Flow Data Visualization for class activity.

2/27 - 5 hours

• Built Slide deck for Project 1 Update for in-class presentation.

• Finished Pollution VR Data Visualization and Storytelling UX in class activity

3/1 - 4 hours

• Prep for Lexi's in-class activity

• Prep for Mohammed's in-class activity

• Review results from Melvin's in-class activity in forms and on Slack

• Added Wiki Page:  Evaluating UX Methods for Data Visualization

3/6 - 4 hours

• Prep for Vincent's in-class activity

• Prep for Yifei's in-class activity

• Prep for Dave's in-class activity

• Prep for Yuanbo's in-class activity

• More data parsing and research for Project 1

• Added Wiki Page: A Page Evaluating Flow Immersive Software for Collaborative Data Visualization

3/8 - 4 hours

• Prep for Brian's in class activity

• Prep for Ashley's in class activity

• Prep for Austin's in class activity

• Worked on Aframe WebVR Design

• Added Wiki Page: A Page Comparing WebVR Mapping Projects with Evaluations AFrame City and Aframe Globe Component

3/10 - 4 hours

• Added Wiki Page: A Page Explaining How to Make Calls using Postman & Parse Data from Ambee API

3/11 - 3 hours

• Office hours with Jakobi

• Exploring Glitch, VRmap, Aframe Registry

3/12 - 5 hours

• Added Wiki Page: A Page Comparing WebVR Mapping Projects with Evaluations AFrame City and Aframe Globe Component

• Added Wiki Page: A Page Comparing Environmental API Data Collection Methods

3/13 - 4 hours

• Prep for Liza's in class activity

• Prep for Camilo's in class activity

• Prep for Vincent's in class activity

• Added Wiki Page: A Page Comparing WebVR Mapping Projects with Evaluations AFrame City and Aframe Globe Component

3/14 - 5 hours

• Tidy up Wiki Pages

• Draft Email on Journal Reviewing Evaluation

• Prepare Project 1 Presentation

3/20 - 2 hour

• Read through Empirical Studies in Information Visualization: Seven Scenarios

• The scenarios for understanding data analysis are:

  • Understanding environments and work practices (UWP)

  • Evaluating visual data analysis and reasoning (VDAR)

  • Evaluating communication through visualization (CTV)

  • Evaluating collaborative data analysis (CDA)

• The scenarios for understanding visualizations are:

  • Evaluating user performance (UP)

  • Evaluating user experience (UE)

  • Evaluating visualization algorithms (VA)

• Project 2 Initial Ideas Plan

  • Not entirely set on specific idea of what data I will use but could explore forest fire data visualizations

    • http://vis.ecowest.org/interactive/wildfires.php

    •  Explore Unity/Unreal and Blender side of things, then compare with WebVR

    • Get ideas from classmates who've  done Unity/Unreal & Blender

  • Project 2 Proposal: Collaborative Financial and Quantitative Research Data Visualizations in VR

3/23 - 4 hour

• Revised Project 2 Plan

• Evaluate your project plan using the rubric from project 1:

  • Included evaluation questions for seven scenarios to consider in project

  • Includes In-Class Activity Ideas, Wiki Deliverables, and Collaboration Ideas

  • Included milestones for 4/04, 4/06, 4/11, 4/13, 4/18, 4/20, 4/25, 4/27, 5/02, 5/04. 

  • Includes Proposal Self-Evaluation