The VDIP (Visual Data Interface Project) was developed as a test web application to interact with data through visually represented media with a spatially related dimension. It was created using SilverlightBusiness Application and a SQL back end. The concept was that if you can visualize data in medium which mimics reality the user would be able to understand a manipulate it more effectively.
The instance we created for testing purposes was the layout of Sacred Heart University starting with an aerial view of the Fairfield Campus.
The instance we created for testing purposes was the layout of Sacred Heart University starting with an aerial view of the Fairfield Campus.
We would think of this as the "Fairfield Campus" space. We then allowed each of the highlighted areas to represent a sub-space of the campus wide space. In this case they represented a building. That brought us to an interior view such as this..
And ending with a room such as this..
The data piece of this project comes in the form of Items such as this printer in the top right corner of the screen. This indicates that this item is located in the space being represented by the image. Additionally, this system of space and items does not have to be relegated to infrastructure as in this example. I also created a "Science Class" which you can navigate through the table of elements.
Ultimately I appreciate the function of a system like this because it preserves the naturally perceived relations between spaces and items in the real world. It also leads me to another project of mine The Vineyard.