Application and Theory of Computer Technology, 2017
This article describes the iterative development, deployment and evaluation of a novel Ambient Di... more This article describes the iterative development, deployment and evaluation of a novel Ambient Display called the WaveWatch. Employing the concepts of Calm Computing [1] and Informative Art [2] the WaveWatch aims to balance its goals of being minimally attentive while also being a visualisation device. The WaveWatch presents a real-time visualisation through the use of high-definition 3D rendered graphics. An animated ocean scene is presented which can be modulated to visualize the attributes of a real-time data source. This visualisation occurs through the modification of the display's on screen ocean where the height, frequency and speed of ocean waves are used to signal changes in a real-time data source. As part of this study the WaveWatch was deployed in a real-life marketing office for a period of two weeks. In this case the WaveWatch took on a simple metaphor where if web traffic was low the ocean would remain calm and as web traffic increased the ocean waves would become more turbulent. The outcomes of the development and deployment of the WaveWatch were generally positive with the display being perceived by participants as being easy to interpret, useful and unobtrusive.
Proceedings of the tenth conference on Australasian computing education - Volume 78, 2008
Managing attrition rates and completion times of higher degree research students are key consider... more Managing attrition rates and completion times of higher degree research students are key considerations for Universities as they are directly tied to future funding for research places. Even where higher degree research students are focused within a single discipline there are a number of risks that can impact on completion. However, there is also evidence of an increase in cross-disciplinary research within Australia. The nature of cross-disciplinary research raises further issues concerning the supervision and progression of PhD candidates and the examination of their works. We discuss a number of issues from a case study of the authors' own PhD experience, which spanned the computing and business disciplines. We conclude by drawing on some experiences in project management from the software engineering community and finally recommend that all participants in higher degree research consider a strategy of preventive risk management. .
This paper reports on the development of a virtual tour of a community pharmacy. The interactive ... more This paper reports on the development of a virtual tour of a community pharmacy. The interactive walkthrough was designed to be used as an adjunct to placement training for Pharmacy students. This paper reports on the limitations and issues associated with developing a virtual tour using currently available hardware such as the GigaPan Pro and software such as the GigaPan Stitch and krpano. These tools are relatively available and claim to allow for automatic generation of virtual tours along with the addition of interactive element such as text and sounds. We found that in general producing a standard walkthrough was straightforward. We also found that with patience and some experimentation high quality outcomes could be achieved as long as only simple navigation was required. However, adding even simple interactive elements such as sound objects, pop up text and modified hotspots for more natural zooming between locations added significantly to the required IT skill set. We conclude that programming knowledge and subtle interface design skills, consistent with a trained IT professional are required if anything beyond a very basic walkthrough is to be produced.
The uptake of new interface technologies, such as the Oculus Rift, has generated renewed interest... more The uptake of new interface technologies, such as the Oculus Rift, has generated renewed interest in virtual reality. However, the long-standing issue of cybersickness continues to impact on the general use of virtual reality devices, including head mounted displays. This paper contains a discussion of the growing interest, particularly within the gaming and business communities, of virtual reality technologies such as the Oculus Rift. A review of key issues related to cybersickness and their impact on the condition is reported. This includes a discussion of individual, device related and task dependent factors related to cybersickness. We also discuss the underlying theories that are used to explain these conditions and review a number of previous measures, both subjective and objective, that have been used to study cybersickness. We conclude this paper with the outcomes of a preliminary study using the Oculus Rift and comparing two different virtual roller coasters, each with diff...
This study focuses on the role of sound in the popular multiplayer online battle arena game, Dota... more This study focuses on the role of sound in the popular multiplayer online battle arena game, Dota 2. Our initial results indicate that team performance improves with the use of sound. By contrast, some individuals performed better with sound and some without.
Vitrinite reflectance is an important property of coal, and can be used in the prediction of the ... more Vitrinite reflectance is an important property of coal, and can be used in the prediction of the quality of coke derived from coal blends. However, limited methods that incorporate the associated reflectance distributions within prediction models exist. We present a novel method of classifying vitrinite reflectance distributions using self organizing maps. This approach is shown to provide representative and repeatable distributions. In comparison to approaches that capture only the spread of the distribution, the work presented here is able to capture the often multimodal nature of coal blends. Implementation of the resulting distributions within regression based prediction models showed statistically significant improvement to model prediction, furthering the understanding and control of coal blending. More generally, the work presented here may inform other application domains where the general shape of data distributions needs to be incorporated as a single attribute into simula...
International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, 2018
The accurate prediction of coke quality is important for the selection and valuation of metallurg... more The accurate prediction of coke quality is important for the selection and valuation of metallurgical coals. Whilst many prediction models exist, they tend to perform poorly for coals beyond which the model was developed. Further, these models general fail to directly account for physical interactions occurring between the blend components, through the assumption that the aggregate properties of the blend are suitably representative of the overall behavior of the blend. To study this assumption, a parameter termed the vitrinite distribution category was introduced to directly account for the distribution of one of these commonly aggregated parameters, the vitrinite reflectance. The introduction of this parameter in a regression model for coke quality prediction improved the model fit. The vitrinite distribution category was demonstrated to provide new information about coal blending decisions, and was found to be capable of providing insight into the behavior of different blending structures. Residual analysis was applied to explore the behavior of the coke quality prediction model, with the vitrinite distribution category found to explain more than just the presence or absence of coals within a blend. This work provides the foundation of future studies in examining coal blending decisions, with the proposed parameter having the potential to be applied as part of a coke quality prediction model to optimize coal blending decisions.
Within the coke making industry, the ability to accurately predict the quality of the coke produc... more Within the coke making industry, the ability to accurately predict the quality of the coke produced from a variety of global coal basins is critical in both coal selection and blast furnace control. However, due to the complexity of the coke making process, the prediction of the resulting coke properties is a difficult task. This review analysed published models for the prediction of various measures of coke quality, with a particular emphasis on coke strength after reaction (CSR) and the related coke reactivity index (CRI). Focus was placed on the coal parameters selected as model inputs, and their reported behaviour with respect to the predicted coke quality. This review draws similar conclusions to previous analysis, namely there is a limited range of model applicability beyond the specific range of coals for which each model was derived. This conclusion is extended to suggest that the inconsistent utilisation of key attributes contributes to these limitations. 1.3. Prediction of coke quality Coke quality tests are often expensive and time consuming and only provide information about the coke quality after it is produced. For
We provoked cybersickness in participants by immersing them in one of two virtual roller coaster ... more We provoked cybersickness in participants by immersing them in one of two virtual roller coaster rides using a head-mounted display. As simulation technology is often used in training, our main intention was to examine the effect of the experience on their cognitive function. Participant reaction times before and after the experience were measured by averaging their response time to a visual stimulus over a number of trials. We measured a significant reduction in response time before and after the virtual experience. We also examined the changing state of nausea experienced by participants using some simple nausea measures. These included a repeated nausea rating recorded by participants at two-minute intervals. At the completion of the experience, we averaged these ratings to create a standard nausea score. As participants could decide to stop the experience at any time, we also recorded the voluntary duration of the experience. We correlated our measures with two traditional simulator sickness measures, namely the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (MSSQ) and Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire (MSAQ). The standard nausea score provided a simple measure of nausea that could be collected at regular intervals with minimal interference to the immersive experience, and was significantly correlated with both the MSSQ and MSAQ scores.
ABSTRACT Nesbitt, K., Blackmore, K., Hookham, G., Kay-Lambkin, F., and Walla,P. (2015). Using the... more ABSTRACT Nesbitt, K., Blackmore, K., Hookham, G., Kay-Lambkin, F., and Walla,P. (2015). Using the Startle Eye-Blink to Measure Affect in Players. In: Serious Games Analytics, Springer International Publishing, pp. 401-434.
Serious game analytics share many of the challenges of data analytics for computer systems involv... more Serious game analytics share many of the challenges of data analytics for computer systems involving human activity. Key challenges include how to collect data without influencing its generation, and more fundamentally, how to collect and validate data from humans where a primary emphasis is on what people are thinking and doing. This chapter presents a meta-analysis of data collection activities in serious games research. A systematic review was conducted to consider metrics and measures across the human–computer interaction, gaming, simulation, and virtual reality literature. The review focus was on the temporal aspect of data collection to identify if data is collected before, during, or after gameplay and if so what fundamental processes are used to collect data. The review found that the majority of data collection occurred post-game, then pre-game, and finally during gameplay. This reflects traditional difficulties of capturing gameplay data and highlights opportunities for new data capture approaches oriented towards data analytics. Also we identify how researchers gather data to answer fundamental questions about the efficacy of serious games and the design elements that might underlie their efficacy. We suggest that more standardized and better-validated data collection techniques, that allow comparing and contrasting outcomes between studies, would be beneficial.
Proceedings of the 2014 Conference on Interactive Entertainment, 2014
The uptake of new interface technologies, such as the Oculus Rift have generated renewed interest... more The uptake of new interface technologies, such as the Oculus Rift have generated renewed interest in virtual reality especially for private entertainment use. However, long standing issues with unwanted side effects, such as nausea from cybersickness, continue to impact on the general use of devices such as head mounted displays. This in turn has slowed the uptake of more immersive interfaces for computer gaming and indeed more serious applications in training and health. In this paper we report a systematic review in the area of cybersickness with a focus on measuring the diverse symptoms experienced. Indeed the related conditions of simulator sickness and motion sickness have previously been well studied and yet many of the issues are unresolved. Here we report on these issues along with a number of measures, both subjective and objective in nature, using either questionnaires or psychophysiological measures that have been used to study cybersickness. We also report on the factors, individual, device related and task dependent that impact on the condition. We conclude that there remains a need to develop more cost-effective and objective physiological measures of both the impact of cybersickness and a person's susceptibility to the condition.
Handbook of Systems and Complexity in Health, 2012
Recommended clinical preventive services are not being delivered despite well-documented benefits... more Recommended clinical preventive services are not being delivered despite well-documented benefits. Here we show that transferring simple and repetitive preventive services to nurse-staffed retail clinics provides an opportunity for dramatically improving their delivery. For each of 35 highbenefit, cost-effective preventive services, we identify required training, number of repetitions, and time and cost for full coverage in the US. We determine that full delivery through physician-based practices would require an unrealistic 400,000 full-time personnel. We estimate the efficiency gains from implementation at nurse-staffed clinics at retail locations for 28 services. Widespread adoption would result in a five-fold reduction in variable costs and threefold reduction in personnel. By elevating the benefit-to-cost ratio, retail implementation can expedite widespread prevention coverage and help transform US healthcare.
Sound in video games is often used by developers to enhance the visual experience on screen. Desp... more Sound in video games is often used by developers to enhance the visual experience on screen. Despite its importance in creating presence and improving visual screen elements, sound also plays an important role in providing additional information to a player when completing various game tasks. This preliminary study focuses on the use of informative sound in the popular multiplayer online battle arena game, Dota 2. Our initial results indicate that team performance improves with the use of sound. However, mixed results with individual performances were measured, with some individual performances better with sound and some better without sound.
ABSTRACT This paper describes the development of applications for the interactive investigation o... more ABSTRACT This paper describes the development of applications for the interactive investigation of 3D geological and geophysical data, using an Interactive Workbench. The Interactive Workbench is essentially a large light table, on which stereo images are back-projected. The position of the user's head and hands are determined by a magnetic tracking system. The user interacts via a 3D mouse with geoscientific data objects that appear to be placed on or above the table. A high-end Silicon Graphics Workstation renders the stereo images 30 times a second for the users current eye position. We have implemented a pen-driven user interface as well as virtual tools for positioning, picking and cutting in order to visualize and, in some instances, edit geological objects like horizons, faults, seismic data, well bores, etc. This approach enables geoscientists to more fully exploit 3D geoscientific data by providing them with a truly D display that can be shared with others. In addition, the 3D interactivity that this technology provides can support more productive modeling of geoscientific data and more efficient verification of the resulting interpretations.
Application and Theory of Computer Technology, 2017
This article describes the iterative development, deployment and evaluation of a novel Ambient Di... more This article describes the iterative development, deployment and evaluation of a novel Ambient Display called the WaveWatch. Employing the concepts of Calm Computing [1] and Informative Art [2] the WaveWatch aims to balance its goals of being minimally attentive while also being a visualisation device. The WaveWatch presents a real-time visualisation through the use of high-definition 3D rendered graphics. An animated ocean scene is presented which can be modulated to visualize the attributes of a real-time data source. This visualisation occurs through the modification of the display's on screen ocean where the height, frequency and speed of ocean waves are used to signal changes in a real-time data source. As part of this study the WaveWatch was deployed in a real-life marketing office for a period of two weeks. In this case the WaveWatch took on a simple metaphor where if web traffic was low the ocean would remain calm and as web traffic increased the ocean waves would become more turbulent. The outcomes of the development and deployment of the WaveWatch were generally positive with the display being perceived by participants as being easy to interpret, useful and unobtrusive.
Proceedings of the tenth conference on Australasian computing education - Volume 78, 2008
Managing attrition rates and completion times of higher degree research students are key consider... more Managing attrition rates and completion times of higher degree research students are key considerations for Universities as they are directly tied to future funding for research places. Even where higher degree research students are focused within a single discipline there are a number of risks that can impact on completion. However, there is also evidence of an increase in cross-disciplinary research within Australia. The nature of cross-disciplinary research raises further issues concerning the supervision and progression of PhD candidates and the examination of their works. We discuss a number of issues from a case study of the authors' own PhD experience, which spanned the computing and business disciplines. We conclude by drawing on some experiences in project management from the software engineering community and finally recommend that all participants in higher degree research consider a strategy of preventive risk management. .
This paper reports on the development of a virtual tour of a community pharmacy. The interactive ... more This paper reports on the development of a virtual tour of a community pharmacy. The interactive walkthrough was designed to be used as an adjunct to placement training for Pharmacy students. This paper reports on the limitations and issues associated with developing a virtual tour using currently available hardware such as the GigaPan Pro and software such as the GigaPan Stitch and krpano. These tools are relatively available and claim to allow for automatic generation of virtual tours along with the addition of interactive element such as text and sounds. We found that in general producing a standard walkthrough was straightforward. We also found that with patience and some experimentation high quality outcomes could be achieved as long as only simple navigation was required. However, adding even simple interactive elements such as sound objects, pop up text and modified hotspots for more natural zooming between locations added significantly to the required IT skill set. We conclude that programming knowledge and subtle interface design skills, consistent with a trained IT professional are required if anything beyond a very basic walkthrough is to be produced.
The uptake of new interface technologies, such as the Oculus Rift, has generated renewed interest... more The uptake of new interface technologies, such as the Oculus Rift, has generated renewed interest in virtual reality. However, the long-standing issue of cybersickness continues to impact on the general use of virtual reality devices, including head mounted displays. This paper contains a discussion of the growing interest, particularly within the gaming and business communities, of virtual reality technologies such as the Oculus Rift. A review of key issues related to cybersickness and their impact on the condition is reported. This includes a discussion of individual, device related and task dependent factors related to cybersickness. We also discuss the underlying theories that are used to explain these conditions and review a number of previous measures, both subjective and objective, that have been used to study cybersickness. We conclude this paper with the outcomes of a preliminary study using the Oculus Rift and comparing two different virtual roller coasters, each with diff...
This study focuses on the role of sound in the popular multiplayer online battle arena game, Dota... more This study focuses on the role of sound in the popular multiplayer online battle arena game, Dota 2. Our initial results indicate that team performance improves with the use of sound. By contrast, some individuals performed better with sound and some without.
Vitrinite reflectance is an important property of coal, and can be used in the prediction of the ... more Vitrinite reflectance is an important property of coal, and can be used in the prediction of the quality of coke derived from coal blends. However, limited methods that incorporate the associated reflectance distributions within prediction models exist. We present a novel method of classifying vitrinite reflectance distributions using self organizing maps. This approach is shown to provide representative and repeatable distributions. In comparison to approaches that capture only the spread of the distribution, the work presented here is able to capture the often multimodal nature of coal blends. Implementation of the resulting distributions within regression based prediction models showed statistically significant improvement to model prediction, furthering the understanding and control of coal blending. More generally, the work presented here may inform other application domains where the general shape of data distributions needs to be incorporated as a single attribute into simula...
International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, 2018
The accurate prediction of coke quality is important for the selection and valuation of metallurg... more The accurate prediction of coke quality is important for the selection and valuation of metallurgical coals. Whilst many prediction models exist, they tend to perform poorly for coals beyond which the model was developed. Further, these models general fail to directly account for physical interactions occurring between the blend components, through the assumption that the aggregate properties of the blend are suitably representative of the overall behavior of the blend. To study this assumption, a parameter termed the vitrinite distribution category was introduced to directly account for the distribution of one of these commonly aggregated parameters, the vitrinite reflectance. The introduction of this parameter in a regression model for coke quality prediction improved the model fit. The vitrinite distribution category was demonstrated to provide new information about coal blending decisions, and was found to be capable of providing insight into the behavior of different blending structures. Residual analysis was applied to explore the behavior of the coke quality prediction model, with the vitrinite distribution category found to explain more than just the presence or absence of coals within a blend. This work provides the foundation of future studies in examining coal blending decisions, with the proposed parameter having the potential to be applied as part of a coke quality prediction model to optimize coal blending decisions.
Within the coke making industry, the ability to accurately predict the quality of the coke produc... more Within the coke making industry, the ability to accurately predict the quality of the coke produced from a variety of global coal basins is critical in both coal selection and blast furnace control. However, due to the complexity of the coke making process, the prediction of the resulting coke properties is a difficult task. This review analysed published models for the prediction of various measures of coke quality, with a particular emphasis on coke strength after reaction (CSR) and the related coke reactivity index (CRI). Focus was placed on the coal parameters selected as model inputs, and their reported behaviour with respect to the predicted coke quality. This review draws similar conclusions to previous analysis, namely there is a limited range of model applicability beyond the specific range of coals for which each model was derived. This conclusion is extended to suggest that the inconsistent utilisation of key attributes contributes to these limitations. 1.3. Prediction of coke quality Coke quality tests are often expensive and time consuming and only provide information about the coke quality after it is produced. For
We provoked cybersickness in participants by immersing them in one of two virtual roller coaster ... more We provoked cybersickness in participants by immersing them in one of two virtual roller coaster rides using a head-mounted display. As simulation technology is often used in training, our main intention was to examine the effect of the experience on their cognitive function. Participant reaction times before and after the experience were measured by averaging their response time to a visual stimulus over a number of trials. We measured a significant reduction in response time before and after the virtual experience. We also examined the changing state of nausea experienced by participants using some simple nausea measures. These included a repeated nausea rating recorded by participants at two-minute intervals. At the completion of the experience, we averaged these ratings to create a standard nausea score. As participants could decide to stop the experience at any time, we also recorded the voluntary duration of the experience. We correlated our measures with two traditional simulator sickness measures, namely the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (MSSQ) and Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire (MSAQ). The standard nausea score provided a simple measure of nausea that could be collected at regular intervals with minimal interference to the immersive experience, and was significantly correlated with both the MSSQ and MSAQ scores.
ABSTRACT Nesbitt, K., Blackmore, K., Hookham, G., Kay-Lambkin, F., and Walla,P. (2015). Using the... more ABSTRACT Nesbitt, K., Blackmore, K., Hookham, G., Kay-Lambkin, F., and Walla,P. (2015). Using the Startle Eye-Blink to Measure Affect in Players. In: Serious Games Analytics, Springer International Publishing, pp. 401-434.
Serious game analytics share many of the challenges of data analytics for computer systems involv... more Serious game analytics share many of the challenges of data analytics for computer systems involving human activity. Key challenges include how to collect data without influencing its generation, and more fundamentally, how to collect and validate data from humans where a primary emphasis is on what people are thinking and doing. This chapter presents a meta-analysis of data collection activities in serious games research. A systematic review was conducted to consider metrics and measures across the human–computer interaction, gaming, simulation, and virtual reality literature. The review focus was on the temporal aspect of data collection to identify if data is collected before, during, or after gameplay and if so what fundamental processes are used to collect data. The review found that the majority of data collection occurred post-game, then pre-game, and finally during gameplay. This reflects traditional difficulties of capturing gameplay data and highlights opportunities for new data capture approaches oriented towards data analytics. Also we identify how researchers gather data to answer fundamental questions about the efficacy of serious games and the design elements that might underlie their efficacy. We suggest that more standardized and better-validated data collection techniques, that allow comparing and contrasting outcomes between studies, would be beneficial.
Proceedings of the 2014 Conference on Interactive Entertainment, 2014
The uptake of new interface technologies, such as the Oculus Rift have generated renewed interest... more The uptake of new interface technologies, such as the Oculus Rift have generated renewed interest in virtual reality especially for private entertainment use. However, long standing issues with unwanted side effects, such as nausea from cybersickness, continue to impact on the general use of devices such as head mounted displays. This in turn has slowed the uptake of more immersive interfaces for computer gaming and indeed more serious applications in training and health. In this paper we report a systematic review in the area of cybersickness with a focus on measuring the diverse symptoms experienced. Indeed the related conditions of simulator sickness and motion sickness have previously been well studied and yet many of the issues are unresolved. Here we report on these issues along with a number of measures, both subjective and objective in nature, using either questionnaires or psychophysiological measures that have been used to study cybersickness. We also report on the factors, individual, device related and task dependent that impact on the condition. We conclude that there remains a need to develop more cost-effective and objective physiological measures of both the impact of cybersickness and a person's susceptibility to the condition.
Handbook of Systems and Complexity in Health, 2012
Recommended clinical preventive services are not being delivered despite well-documented benefits... more Recommended clinical preventive services are not being delivered despite well-documented benefits. Here we show that transferring simple and repetitive preventive services to nurse-staffed retail clinics provides an opportunity for dramatically improving their delivery. For each of 35 highbenefit, cost-effective preventive services, we identify required training, number of repetitions, and time and cost for full coverage in the US. We determine that full delivery through physician-based practices would require an unrealistic 400,000 full-time personnel. We estimate the efficiency gains from implementation at nurse-staffed clinics at retail locations for 28 services. Widespread adoption would result in a five-fold reduction in variable costs and threefold reduction in personnel. By elevating the benefit-to-cost ratio, retail implementation can expedite widespread prevention coverage and help transform US healthcare.
Sound in video games is often used by developers to enhance the visual experience on screen. Desp... more Sound in video games is often used by developers to enhance the visual experience on screen. Despite its importance in creating presence and improving visual screen elements, sound also plays an important role in providing additional information to a player when completing various game tasks. This preliminary study focuses on the use of informative sound in the popular multiplayer online battle arena game, Dota 2. Our initial results indicate that team performance improves with the use of sound. However, mixed results with individual performances were measured, with some individual performances better with sound and some better without sound.
ABSTRACT This paper describes the development of applications for the interactive investigation o... more ABSTRACT This paper describes the development of applications for the interactive investigation of 3D geological and geophysical data, using an Interactive Workbench. The Interactive Workbench is essentially a large light table, on which stereo images are back-projected. The position of the user's head and hands are determined by a magnetic tracking system. The user interacts via a 3D mouse with geoscientific data objects that appear to be placed on or above the table. A high-end Silicon Graphics Workstation renders the stereo images 30 times a second for the users current eye position. We have implemented a pen-driven user interface as well as virtual tools for positioning, picking and cutting in order to visualize and, in some instances, edit geological objects like horizons, faults, seismic data, well bores, etc. This approach enables geoscientists to more fully exploit 3D geoscientific data by providing them with a truly D display that can be shared with others. In addition, the 3D interactivity that this technology provides can support more productive modeling of geoscientific data and more efficient verification of the resulting interpretations.
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Papers by Keith Nesbitt