Today: SFU professor to discuss advances in GIS research

The Huxley College Speaker Series at Western Washington University presents Nick Hedley, of Simon Fraser University, who will speak on "Serious Games in Space and Geospatial X-ray Vision: Exploring New Modes of Visualizing Complex Environmental Phenomena" at 3 p.m. today in Communications Facility Room 125. This presentation is free and open to the public.

Geographical information systems, or GIS, have been used extensively in environmental research and public outreach for many years and have become the standard tool for performing analysis on data in 2D "geographic space." However, mainstream desktop GIS software is limited in its ability to characterize dynamic environmental phenomena with inherent 3D structures and processes. Emerging new technologies are changing the way people access information about geographic spaces and environmental data. In the near future, there will be significant advances in the way people are able to interact with geospatial data, and seamlessly integrate this capability into everyday practice. During the past 20 years, many new 3D human-computer interfaces have developed outside of conventional geographic circles. These include virtual reality, 3D game engines and mixed reality environments.

While unconventional, these technologies support 3D topological representation, powerful new ways to interact with 3D visualizations, and new ways to communicate complex environmental phenomena to engage citizens and scientists. In this talk, Hedley will show how he and his team of researchers are using 3D game engines, non-linear geomovies and augmented reality in environmental simulation and public education projects at the Spatial Interface Research Lab. Application contexts include tsunami hazards, search and rescue training, environmental perception and climate change. He will discuss the implications for geographic information science and opportunities for engaging citizens in new modes of environmental visualization.

Nick Hedley is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at Simon Fraser University. He has been researching geovisualization, virtual environments and mixed reality interfaces for 14 years. Hedley’s research projects have been funded by NSF, EPA, DOE, SSHRC, CWN, and GEOIDE. He has also consulted for numerous organizations in government, broadcasting, public education and the movie industry.

Anyone interested in these issues is encouraged to come and participate. The presentation will examine opportunities for addressing these issues and include a question and answer period. The speaker series is held by Western's Huxley College of the Environment to bring together the environmental studies/ science community and other interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

For more information, please contact David Rossiter, Huxley College of the Environment, at (360) 650-3603.