William B. Thompson Professor of Computer Science School of Computing 50 So. Central Campus Dr., Room MEB-3190 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9205 Tel: (801) 585-3302 Fax: (801) 581-5843

Research:

• Perception and Computer Graphics
  
  This research focuses on increasing the effectiveness of computer graphics in conveying information about the three-dimensional world. It is an interdisciplinary effort involving computer graphics, perceptual psychology, and computational vision. We are interested in better understanding the spatial information potentially available in CG imagery, determining what spatial cues are actually used when CG imagery is viewed, and using this information to inform the development of improved rendering algorithms.
  
  
• Designing Visually Accessible Spaces.
  
  Research ultimately aimed at provide tools to enable the design of safe environments for the mobility of low-vision individuals who may need to operate under low luminance and other visually challenging conditions.  This is a multi-university, multi-disciplinary effort involving clinical low vision, visual science, perceptual psychology, and computer graphics.
  


• Immersive Environments

Immersive interfaces are devices which surround a user with the sensations of being in a simulated world. Most existing immersive interfaces are primarily or exclusively visual in nature. Our own work explores the hypothesis that immersive interfaces can convey a better sense of spatial orientation when visual and biomechanical cues are effectively integrated in the display.

Previous work:

• Visual Motion

Much of Prof. Thompson's prior research deal with the analysis of visual motion. This included optical flow estimation, detection and interpretation of discontinuities in optical flow, and the detection of moving objects from non-stationary viewpoints.


• Vision-Based Navigation in Unstructured, Outdoor Terrain

A model of the process by which current location can be determined from views of outdoor environments and maps representing topographic information was developed. This required an interdisciplinary approach, involving laboratory and field studies of highly expert map readers, computational analysis, and computer simulations.


• Terrain Rendering
  
  Accurately rendering naturally occurring outdoor terrain requires a number of techniques that are very different from those involved in realistic rendering of indoor scenes. Prof. Thompson's work has involved ways in which commonly available GIS data can be used to produce correct depictions of actual geographic locations and methods for producing images which convey a perceptual sense of night scenes, even when viewed under bright light conditions.
  

Other (potentially) useful/interesting information:

CV (short)