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This is a proposal for an Engineering Doctorate Centre in the field of `visualisation engineering' and its applications, in particular in science and architecture. The field includes virtual environments and the technologies required for their successful development and utilisation, ie: computer graphics, auralisation, haptics, related software engineering for distributed virtual environments, and computer vision and imaging processing. The centre will focus on research themes identified as of strategic importance by our industrial partners, such as: VEs for the support of distributed working of multidisciplinary teams, simulation and visualisation of function, visualisation in support of communication in teams including lay clients and end users, and acquisition of model geometry and appearance from unstructured image data. These themes will be underpinned by fundamental research into the required technologies, including: the development of interfaces utilising aural, tactile and haptic feedback, shared virtual environments, tracking of participants and the extraction of the required behavioural data, problems in the rapid generation of the graphics and its synchronisation with other modalities, and handling massive models and environments.In the last Foresight exercise, almost all sectors identified VEs and these technologies as important, yet there is a growing shortage of the most highly trained, doctoral level graduates, in particular those skilled in the technologies and their application. The proposal is supported by a wide variety of over 20 organisations, including large and small companies, consultancies, medical research institutions and, in particular, the Imaging Faraday Partnership which gives us access to a much greater pool of participants, especially SMEs, and valuable marketing, promotional, managerial and technical support. Firm commitments to sponsorship of REs exceeds the requested level of 10 p.a. with a large reserve pool.
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