A group of human-computer interaction researchers at the University of Washington Animation Research Labs have developed an incredible tool for exploring photo archives. The technique renders a three-dimensional representation of a space based on photographs of the location. Each photograph is then positioned from the perspective in which it was originally taken, and the user can navigate between photographs using a number of different mechanisms. This is a great illustration of my contention that while it may be difficult to specify exactly what Informatics is, you always know it when you see it.
The technology, which was developed through a Microsoft-funded research grant, is being commercialized under the name Photo Synth. Here’s a drop to a full-length video demonstration.
