M22367@mwvm.mitre.org (05/30/91)
IMHO, the representation of data as three dimensional VR objects is extremely desirable. A database management system is, after all, an artifact introduced by the tools we are using (computers). Once we can manipulate the 'objects' we are interested in (people, companies, data streams) using 'tools' that are not available to us in the 'real' world we will have achieved a great deal. Imagine examining a company's budget by watching the money actually flow in the door and to the various departments. Using 'the hand of god', you implement paper recycling throughout the company. The money flow does a hiccup from the initial implementation costs, then the $ flow to the trash bins lessens. Using 'the hand of god' again, you divert some money from recruiting to R&D. Much to your surprise, all the lights in the computer center go out and then the entire company folds up like a house of cards. You ask the system for an explanation and discover the computer center has been desperately trying to fill several critical positions for months. You restart the simulation at the point before you diverted the funds. You ask for an EEO summary report. Human figures identifiable as to EEO category appear, displayed with their size in proportion to their numbers in the company. The figures are ghosted by expected reasonable proportions. Zooming in on the 'female alaskan native disabled veteran' figure, you ask to see her latest work. Several new objects appear; stacks of memos, trade journals, reports and a textbook. You examine the book - authored by your employee and published last week by XYZ press. You generate an achievement award memo for the employee. You ask to see which of the other documents are related to the book... Etc. Plainly, our world is more three dimensional and 'hyper-linked' than any *existing* database. VR and databases are inextricable. In the long run, VR may be one of the most important purposes of computer science.
iaf@uk.ac.cam.cl.ely (Innes Ferguson) (06/03/91)
In <1991May30.174424.19301@milton.u.washington.edu> M22367@mwvm.mitre.org writes: >IMHO, the representation of data as three dimensional VR objects is extremely >desirable. A database management system is, after all, an artifact introduced >by the tools we are using (computers). Once we can manipulate the 'objects' we are interested in (people, companies, data streams) using 'tools' >that are not available to us in the 'real' world we will have achieved a >great deal. You seem to be confusing representation of data (or knowledge, more generally) with methods for visualizing it. Simply representing data as 3-D objects doesn't even begin to address what is arguably the most important issue in AI: knowledge representation. Data/knowledge items, 3-D or otherwise, still have to have a meaning, still have to be associated with other knowledge items, still have be to inferenced upon, etc. And these issues are completely tool-independent. So, the same old questions that keep AI people busy are also going to keep the visual database people busy. If anything, VR techniques will generate more questions than answers since the techniques will create so many new opportunities. >Imagine examining a company's budget by watching the money actually >flow in the door and to the various departments. Using 'the hand of god', >you implement.... [rest deleted] Your example is interesting, but it is just an example. As soon as you start addressing common features among such examples, you'll be faced with questions that have little to do with whether the data items are presented to the user as 3-D objects. Regards... Innes ============================================================================= Innes A. Ferguson Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Pembroke St., Cambridge CB2 3QG, England, UK. BITNET: iaf@cl.cam.ac.uk JANET: iaf@uk.ac.cam.cl Tel.: +44 223 334421 FAX: +44 223 334678 =============================================================================