Newsletter

Delivering immersive visualisation and learning solutions August 2016

Datascape 2.0 Launched!

Our 2nd generation 3D Immersive Visual Analytics application, iCentrumVR on App Store
Datascape 2.0 is now available - a PC application which will let you
visualise, fly through, and interact with over 15 million data points.

Building on our experience with

Datascape 1 (which was written in
Unity) Datascape 2 is a completely re-
written application which provides the
same overall experience and features
as Datascape 1 but with far higher The iCentrum app that we luanched
usability and performance. Datascape on Android back in May is now also
2 (known as Datascape2XL while in available on the Apple App Store,
development) is written in C# and ready to download for FREE to your
DirectX, and is currently only available iPhone.
on Windows.
The app is designed to be used with
By using native Windows tools we’ve been able to create an application or without a Google Cardboard VR
which looks and behaves far more headset.
like the sort of business apps that iCentrum is a new flexible office
people are used to. You can import space for innovative digital
data directly from Excel businesses, providing 42,149 sq ft
spreadsheets and CSV files (or link (3,881 sq m) of space for 400 high-
it to a database), and use simple value skilled tech jobs at any one
clicks to assign fields to parameters time. It also includes the 11,845 sq
in the mapping screen. A simple ft Serendip Smart City Incubator
tree view gives you immediate which has been designed to
access to all the components of the accelerate the development of start-
visualisation, including the axes and up ventures and facilitate innovative
graphical background. collaborations between businesses
and commercial partners.
Datascape2 also has power.
Depending on your PC configuration The iCentrumVR app is designed to
you can visualise and interact with help the iCentrum sales team
over 15 million data points (we’re market the building. The app
managing over 2 million just on a provides a guided tour of the space,
laptop!). We already have a Hadoop so that users can stand in a number
interface under test, and V1.1 (due of locations in the building and then
Sep 16) will also add Virtual Reality look all around the environment
support for Oculus Rift. using a Google Cardboard headset
to get the full VR experience. The
app also contains additional
Datascape provides a range of 3D objects to use as markers, including information on the building, and
common objects such as man, woman, car, ship, plane etc. You can also contact details for the iCentrum
import your own 2D images to use on the panel axes, and link points out to team. iCentrum are using the app as
URLs which can be viewed in your browser. part of their sales visits and
marketing events, as well as mailing
You can download the Trial version of Datascape 2.0 for FREE today. After out branded Google Cardboard
30 days the trial version reverts to 10,000 point limited Community Version, headsets to key prospects.
but of course we’d like you to upgrade to one of our Solo or Commercial Just search for “icentrumvr” on the
licences – which start from just £49+VAT! App Store from your iPhone.
We already have a good set of video tutorials on YouTube and Vimeo, and If you’d like to see a VR demo, or
a well-developed Datascape Wiki, but if you need any more help just post talk to us about doing an initial VR
on our Forums or email us at datascape@daden.co.uk. project, then just email us at
info@daden.co.uk, or call us on
Happy visualising! 0121 250 5678.
 Fieldscapes Workshops
Fieldscapes Editor and Forthcoming Beta
Our InnovateUK virtual field trip project is now well over half-way
through, and the new Editor functionality is letting us create 3D
immersive lessons without any coding. In the Autumn we’ll be
opening this up to Beta users to try out.

Previously we’ve talked about how

the Fieldscapes Explorer app will let
students undertake virtual fields trips
before, during or after physical field-
trips, in order to be better prepared,
better understand the context, and to
better revise for exams. But how do We’ve been running a steady stream
those lessons get created? of Fieldscapes Workshops, Demos
and Evaluations sessions during the
A virtual field trip lesson needs two things – a location model and a learning last few months, with lots more
layer. With Fieldscapes we recognise that creating a 3D model of a location planned through the rest of the
is (for the near/mid future) going to summer and autumn.
be technically challenging – but
once you have that model there The image above and below shows a
are probably dozens of different session at the University of Hull at
lessons that you can create for it – Scarborough, where as well as
for different subjects, different having a record 10 avatars on the
levels and even different types of moon fieldtrip we also had a good
audience. So if we can make that discussion about underwater field
lesson creation – the learning trips.
layer – an easy process, then a
relatively small number of locations could soon generate hundreds of
lessons.

The Fieldscapes Editor is very

much a WYSIWYG editor. You
walk your avatar around the
landscape and just place your
interaction points where you want
them. The points may or may not
be visible to the student, and are
typically triggered by the student We also had a good session at the
either clicking on them, walking Geological Society’s Higher
over them (or even bumping into them), or by coming within a specified Education Network event at the
distance of them. In response the points (called “props” in Fieldscapes) can University of Leeds with around a
then trigger a whole variety of actions in the lesson, from simply displaying dozen Universities attending.
text, images or video, through
bringing up a multiple-choice quiz,
to transporting the student to a
whole different part of the location.

From September we’ll be starting a

closed Beta of the Fieldscapes
system. This will mean that you can
create lessons on the existing
locations, share then with other beta testers, and eventually use them within
your own classes. If you have the Unity expertise we’ll also let you submit
new locations onto Fieldscapes that can be used by the whole of the beta Another great session was with
community to create new lessons. Northampton High School where we
ran a “round-robin” giving the
If you’d like to take part in the Fieldscapes Beta then please email students the chance to try our 4
fieldscapes@daden.co.uk. If you want to get a better idea of what editing different virtual field trips, giving us
entails then just check out our video tutorials on YouTube and Vimeo, or the some great evaluation data.
Fieldscapes Wiki. We look forward to seeing what you can create!

CONTACT US t: 0121 250 5678

e: info@daden.co.uk
Faraday Wharf, Innovation Birmingham Campus, Holt Street, Birmingham, B7 4BB, UK w: www.daden.co.uk