The Curtin Data Visualisation Facility (CDVF) is unusual in that a great deal of strategic direction comes from the Faculty of Humanities, but it will be open to all academics at Curtin University.
It is also part of the John Curtin Gallery, on the Curtin University main campus (Bentley). The launch is planned for the second week of November.

What will it be used for? To “meet a broad demand for visualisation, virtualisation and simulation infrastructure and capability in Western Australia. It will enable significantly better training environments and improved interpretation of research data across the university’s core areas of research.” (Curtin University website).

Currently being installed are:

• A 4X3 high resolution tiled display.
• A half-cylindrical stereo display (8 metres in diameter).
• A wedge (2 high resolution stereo display screens at an angle to each other-the angle can be adjusted).
• A truncated dome.

The inventor, Associate Professor Paul Bourke, Director of iVEC@UWA, tells me it is not an iDome, as it uses fish eye projection and it is a truncated spherical dome, but it currently lacks a catchy name.
You can see some of Paul Bourke’s visualisation work featuring Gigapixel, 360 Ladybug panoramas and iDome scientific visualisation here: http://paulbourke.net/papers/curtin2013/slides.pdf
NB We are also part of iVEC, iVEC@Curtin, so we can borrow iVEC’s high quality recording and rendering equipment and access their services.

The CDVF is staffed by 2 technical assistants and an expert in Stereoscopic projection, Mr Andrew Woods, the Managing Director of CDVF.
Much of the content design will be handled at various creation nodes on campus.
At the School of Media Culture and Creative Arts I have access to the following new postgrad research lab, featuring dual screen MacPros and iMacs.

Do I have enough project ideas? Yes!
Next step: grants, partners, and students! If you any of the three, please contact me!