Scaling to Perception: Challenges and Opportunities for Large-Scale Immersive Visualization Facilities

Abstract

This article reflects on the challenges and successes of providing cutting-edge immersive visualization facilities for a variety of academic users at Virginia Tech's Visionarium and Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC). For over 25 years at Virginia Tech, we have provided cyberinfrastructure and support for designers, engineers, and scientists with data and visualization needs. We consider the history and evolution of these services and inventory several aspects of their research and educational impact. While there are many other examples of successful installations, we present evidence demonstrating the cross-cutting value of these institutional cyberinfrastructure resources and prospectives for future research.