Inside the AlloSphere

I’ve spent a lot of time looking at data visualizations, so while hunting for something new, I came across the AlloSphere. They call it a “large-scale immersive laboratory”, and it is basically a big dome structure inside of which are large projections with which people can interact in many different ways, such as bodily movements and audiovisual cues. Although it is a massive project in and of itself, it wasn’t created to showcase any one specific visualization; rather, the idea is to allow others with extremely complex data visualization projects (especially of a scientific nature) to utilize this space to navigate information using even more rich and meaningful interactions than we can get just by looking at an average-sized computer screen. Or, as they so aptly put it:

It is also like a violin or a symphony orchestra – an instrument to compose for and to play.

This project stuck out to me as interesting because it shows how increasingly scientists and engineers are partnering with artists and designers to solve some of their most difficult problems, and how such multidisciplinary teams can not only solve individual specific problems using data visualization and interactive media techniques, but to create complex toolkits (in a way) for others to do the same.

Here is the TEDtalk, if you’re interested in learning more:

AlloSphere TEDtalk