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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Virtual Vacation"
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ROME IN A DAY--DIGITALLY... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON RESEARCHERS--USING HUNDREDS-OF-THOUSANDS OF TOURIST-PHOTOS--WERE ABLE TO CONSTRUCT A THREE-D, DIGITAL MODEL OF ROME, IN LESS THAN A DAY--21 HOURS, TO BE EXACT. "PHOTO-STITCHING" TECHNOLOGY ISN'T NEW. BUT, THE ALGORITHM THAT THE TEAM DEVELOPED IS NEW; IT SPEEDS UP THE PROCESS ABOUT A HUNDRED-TIMES--MAKING IT EASIER TO TAKE ON NOT JUST A LANDMARK, BUT AN ENTIRE CITY. IT TOOK 60-THOUSAND IMAGES OF DUBROVNIK, 250-THOUSAND SHOTS OF VENICE, AND SOME 150-THOUSAND PICTURES FOR THEIR ROME MODEL. THE RESEARCHERS WENT TO THE FILE-SHARING SITE "FLICKR", AND LOOKED FOR IMAGES TAGGED "ROME" OR "ROMA". TO TRY TO STITCH 250-THOUSAND IMAGES TOGETHER USED TO TAKE ABOUT A YEAR TO PROCESS, FOR A GROUP OF 500 COMPUTERS--BECAUSE EVERY IMAGE IS COMPARED TO EVERY IMAGE. THE NEW METHOD SAVES TIME, BY ONLY COMPARING LIKELY MATCHES FOR PLACEMENT. IT ALSO EMPLOYS PARALLEL-PROCESSING TECHNIQUES. WITH THEIR ROME MODEL, A VIEWER CAN FLY AROUND TREVI FOUNTAIN--OR EVEN GO INSIDE THE SISTINE CHAPEL. LOOK FOR THIS NEW, FASTER METHOD TO BE INTEGRATED WITH ONLINE MAPS--OR TO BE USED IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD, TO BUILD CITIES FOR VIDEO-GAMES. IT MAY EVEN BE USED FOR DIGITAL PRESERVATION OF CITIES LIKE VENICE--BEFORE WATER DOES MORE DAMAGE. IT MAY BE THE DIGITAL VERSION OF A "GROUP" PICTURE. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
