La visualisation de données est un aspect important de la recherche scientifique dans de nombreux domaines.Elle permet d'aider à comprendre les phénomènes observés voire simulés et d'en extraire des informations à des fins notamment de validations expérimentales ou tout simplement pour de la revue de projet.Nous nous intéressons dans le cadre de cette étude doctorale à la visualisation de données volumiques en imagerie médicale et biomédicale, obtenues grâce à des appareils d'acquisition générant des champs scalaires ou vectoriels représentés sous forme de grilles régulières 3D.La taille croissante des données, due à la précision grandissante des appareils d'acquisition, impose d'adapter les algorithmes de visualisation afin de pouvoir gérer de telles volumétries.De plus, les GPUs utilisés en visualisation de données volumiques, se trouvant être particulièrement adaptés à ces problématiques, disposent d'une quantité de mémoire très limitée comparée aux données à visualiser.La question se pose alors de savoir comment dissocier les unités de calculs, permettant la visualisation, de celles de stockage.Les algorithmes se basant sur le principe dit "out-of-core" sont les solutions permettant de gérer de larges ensembles de données volumiques.Dans cette thèse, nous proposons un pipeline complet permettant de visualiser et de traiter, en temps réel sur GPU, des volumes de données dépassant très largement les capacités mémoires des CPU et GPU.L'intérêt de notre pipeline provient de son approche de gestion de données "out-of-core" permettant de virtualiser la mémoire qui se trouve être particulièrement adaptée aux données volumiques.De plus, cette approche repose sur une structure d'adressage virtuel entièrement gérée et maintenue sur GPU.Nous validons notre modèle grâce à plusieurs applications de visualisation et de traitement en temps réel.Tout d'abord, nous proposons un microscope virtuel interactif permettant la visualisation 3D auto-stéréoscopique de piles d'images haute résolution.Puis nous validons l'adaptabilité de notre structure à tous types de données grâce à un microscope virtuel multimodale.Enfin, nous démontrons les capacités multi-rôles de notre structure grâce à une application de visualisation et de traitement concourant en temps réel. / Data visualisation is an essential aspect of scientific research in many fields.It helps to understand observed or even simulated phenomena and to extract information from them for purposes such as experimental validations or solely for project review.The focus given in this thesis is on the visualisation of volume data in medical and biomedical imaging.The acquisition devices used to acquire the data generate scalar or vector fields represented in the form of regular 3D grids.The increasing accuracy of the acquisition devices implies an increasing size of the volume data.Therefore, it requires to adapt the visualisation algorithms in order to be able to manage such volumes.Moreover, visualisation mostly relies on the use of GPUs because they suit well to such problematics.However, they possess a very limited amount of memory compared to the generated volume data.The question then arises as to how to dissociate the calculation units, allowing visualisation, from those of storage.Algorithms based on the so-called "out-of-core" principle are the solutions for managing large volume data sets.In this thesis, we propose a complete GPU-based pipeline allowing real-time visualisation and processing of volume data that are significantly larger than the CPU and GPU memory capacities.The pipeline interest comes from its GPU-based approach of an out-of-core addressing structure, allowing the data virtualisation, which is adequate for volume data management.We validate our approach using different real-time applications of visualisation and processing.First, we propose an interactive virtual microscope allowing 3D auto-stereoscopic visualisation of stacks of high-resolution images.Then, we verify the adaptability of our structure to all data types with a multimodal virtual microscope.Finally, we demonstrate the multi-role capabilities of our structure through a concurrent real-time visualisation and processing application.

In this Bachelor thesis we navigate the ample world of vocal storytelling. Stories are told in all types of media today, but it all started with voices and narrative—from when poetry was sung and theatrical performances such as opera were amongst the most popular and beloved arts. We lift the ground where voices lie today and take them to their deserved place, from solely being an audial companion in media to a main element in interactive storytelling. Hand in hand with Design Fiction as a chosen design perspective and Research through Design as our research approach, we explore ways of creating an immersive, dynamic experience both creative and academically. We found ourselves in infinite ideations of futuristic scenarios which we wanted to symbolize with a world and characters through voices. With Research through Design, we learn not only by doing research, but through actually designing a functional prototype that grants agency to the person interacting with it. The learning process in building this prototype helped us gain significant knowledge in programming, implementation technique and writing for games, especially considering that we had very little experience with these subjects prior to this project. One could say that we were confident in our audio production skills and came with blind eyes when approaching this theme for the first time. The results of our work lead us to the conclusion that, with the adequate knowledge and methods, voices can function as a main element in interactive media prototypes. Narrative, voice design and implementation techniques combined create a group of powerful tools that can achieve interactive storytelling. / I denna kandidatuppsats utforskar vi i en värld av röstligt berättande. Berättelser berättas i alla typer av media idag, men det hela började med röster. Vi vill lyfta fram röster och deras förmåga att driva en berättelse, från att endast vara en osynlig del i ett audiovisuellt verk till ett huvudelement i en interaktiv berättelse. Med hjälp av Design Fiction som designperspektiv och Research through Design som forskningsmetod utforskar vi ett sätt att skapa en uppslukande, dynamisk upplevelse både kreativ och akademisk. Vi lär oss inte bara genom forskning, utan genom att faktiskt utforma en funktionell prototyp där användaren aktivt interagerar med narrativet. Berättelsen befinner sig i tankar om futuristiska scenarier som vi försöker få till liv. Resultatet av vår undersökning leder oss till slutsatsen att med tillräcklig kunskap och rätt metoder så kan röster fungera som ett huvudelement i interaktiva medieproduktioner. Berättande, röstdesign och implementeringstekniker skapar tillsammans en grupp kraftfulla verktyg för att uppnå interaktivt berättande.

With the progress of society, an increasing number of people pay close attention to their health. In this study, we designed a Heart Rate based interactive sound to investigate how biodata-based interactive sounds can affect the well-being of people. We used a variety of approaches to analyzing the data and feedback from users. Firstly, the Trier Social Stress Test protocol was employed as a basis for the test. Also, a package of cultural probes such as photos, diaries and cards were used to collect data from users' everyday life. Recruited by using a snowball sampling technique, five users took and completed the test. From the analysis, we identified problems with our design and realized how to potentially improve the device in the future. The main conclusion that could be drawn was that Heart Rate-based interactive sounds can help users to reduce stress, but that most individuals were more willing to listen to steady sounds in order to relax. / I takt med att samhället utvecklas, utvecklas också ett hälsomedvetet tänkande bland samhällets individer. I denna studie designade vi ett ljud baserad på hjärtfrekvens för att undersöka hur ljud baserade på biodata kan påverka välmåendet hos individer. Vi använde oss av en mängd tillvägagångssätt för att analysera data och återkopplingen från användarna. Det så kallade ”Trier Social Stress Test” protokollet utgjorde testets grund. Därtill användes en samling kulturella stimulis som exempelvis foton, dagböcker och kort, vilka användes för att samla data från användarnas vardagliga liv. Fem användare rekryterades genom snöbollsmetoden, och genomförde sedan testet. Utifrån analysen fann vi problem med vår design och insåg hur vi eventuellt kunde förbättra apparaten i framtiden. Den huvudsakliga slutsatsen som kan dras var att ljud baserad på hjärtfrekvens kan hjälpa användare att minska stress, fastän de flesta individer hellre ville lyssna på mer konstanta ljud för att slappna av.

En un mundo globalizado como el actual en el que, además, muchas sociedades son inherentemente multilingües, la traducción e interpretación entre diversas lenguas requiere de un esfuerzo notable debido a su volumen. Diversas tecnologías de asistencia existen para facilitar la realización de estas tareas de traducción, entre las que se encuentra la traducción automática interactiva (TAI), una modalidad en la que el traductor va escribiendo la traducción y el sistema ofrece sugerencias que predicen las próximas palabras que va a teclear. En el estado de la cuestión, las aproximaciones a la TAI siguen una aproximación de caja de cristal: están firmemente acopladas a un sistema de traducción automática (muchas veces estadístico) que utilizan para generar las sugerencias, por lo que tienen las mismas limitaciones que el sistema de traducción automática subyacente. Esta tesis desarrolla una nueva aproximación de caja negra, donde cualquier recurso bilingüe (no solo sistemas de traducción automática, sino también otros recursos como memorias de traducción, diccionarios, glosarios, etc.) puede ser utilizado para generar las sugerencias.

Astronomy is becoming a forgotten science, which is evident by its relatively low enrollment figures compared to biology, chemistry, and physics. A portable inflatable planetarium brings relevance back to astronomy and offers support to students and educators by simulating realistic astronomical environments. This study sought to determine if learning is improved in an inflatable planetarium by adhering to the design principles of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML), specifically the coherence principle, in an authentic classroom. Two groups of 5th grade students of similar ability were purposefully assigned using a 1-teacher-to-many-students format with mean lesson lengths of 34 minutes. The experimental group was differentiated with seductive details, defined as interesting but irrelevant facts that can distract learning. The control group ( n = 28), with seductive details excluded, outperformed the experimental group (n = 28), validating the coherence principle and producing a Cohen's effect size of medium practical significance (d = 0.4). These findings suggest that CTML, when applied to planetarium instruction, does increase student learning and that seductive details do have a negative effect on learning. An adult training project was created to instruct educators on the benefits of CTML in astronomy education. This study leads to positive social change by highlighting astronomy education while providing educators with design principles of CTML in authentic settings to maximize learning, aid in the creation of digital media (astronomical simulations/instructional lessons for planetariums) and provide valuable training for owners of inflatable planetariums with the eventual goal of increasing student enrollment of astronomy courses at the local level.

Objectives: Consequent to previous research indicating the positive influence of entertainment on attitudes, this quantitative study investigates which interactive elements more effectively augment entertainment and to which degree Gamification, Data Selection, Storytelling, and Motion augments entertainment through the beneficial components Emotional Arousal, Recovery and Regulation and Aesthetic Appreciation (Dobni, 2007). Method: A pre-study survey was conducted to determine a neutral topic for the interactive infographics used in the main study. The main study consisted of experiments on university students. The participants were asked to engage with four interactive infographics, each focusing on one interactive element, while consecutively answering a questionnaire. The results of the survey were analyzed by ​​descriptive analysis, while the questionnaire was analyzed by ANOVA, MANOVA, ​​descriptive analysis, and Pearson’s r. Results: The pre-study survey concluded that Wild Animals was the most neutral topic. Statistically significant differences in shown entertainment were discovered between all interactive elements except Gamification and Storytelling (p = 0.696) and Data Selection and Motion (p = 0.971). Statistically significant differences in signs of Emotional Arousal and Aesthetic Appreciation were discovered between the interactive elements, but none in Recovery and Regulation. A significant (p < 0.001), strong positive correlation (r = 0.744) between shown and self-reported entertainment level was identified. Conclusion: Four out of five null hypotheses were successfully rejected. The findings show that Gamification and Storytelling can be used to augment entertainment more effectively. All interactive elements augment entertainment mainly through Aesthetic Appreciation. Storytelling and Gamification secondarily use Emotional Arousal, while Data Selection and Motion use Recovery and Regulation. Practical implications include that teachers and creators can augment entertainment by choosing effective interactive elements when designing and selecting interactive infographics. Further research can be conducted through qualitative methods or investigating other interactive elements, populations or device environments.

This thesis introduces map interactivity as a new learning resource for historical geography subjects. The purpose of the research is to examine the ability of interactive maps to improve the learning process in social studies classrooms in Utah's public schools. An interactive map and paper maps focused on Utah settlement and hypothetical geographical attractors were created for this research. A two-group experiment was conducted in six classes of Utah Studies; the experimental group used an interactive map, and the control group used a series of paper maps and corresponding tables. Students' conceptual knowledge was tested before and after they used the maps via a pre- and posttest. In addition, at the conclusion of the unit, students rated their feelings about the unit and their assigned maps on a bipolar adjective (semantic differential) scale. Students using the interactive map showed significantly better improvement on two sections of the test: matching and multiple choice. The cognitive processes and the types of knowledge the questions tested likely contributed to this result. Although a significant difference was not found for the attitude assessment, the slow speed of the computers may have increased students' frustration with the interactive map and, consequently, negatively impacted their attitudes about the unit. Integrating interactive maps in social studies classrooms can enhance learning, as these maps can promote an environment in which students learn more effectively and are more interested in the subject matter. As schools update their technology with faster computers, educators should implement more technological mapping resources that may enhance students' learning and attitudes about social studies.

We design and evaluate a way to modify television news to make it interactive for viewers. We allow them to get more of what they want and less of what they don't want. This allows news to break constraints imposed by television broadcast schedules. Our solution is to augment the existing news broadcast structure in the following ways: add a video headlines menu, provide on-demand access to additional story content, provide interactive navigation controls between stories, and a control overlay. For news producers we create a video annotation program and process to help create the interactive news. We use the production tools in a news production room for a week to show viability. We also evaluate the home interactivity by having viewers provide feedback after watching the interactive news produced during that week. Our results show that our solution easily fits into existing news production processes. The solution provides additional depth into stories and individualizes the newscast for each viewer. The interaction for viewers is optional and easy to use, but future work could make it even easier to learn and use.

Narrative is expressed in many forms, yet the reading of narrative through books may be unique in its transformative qualities. The medium of books has existed for thousands of years as a primary means of passing down and internalizing narrative from generation to generation. Are books now a dying medium in the face of ever-advancing technology in an increasingly fast-paced and technologically-dependent society? Technology now incorporates narrative into interactive environments in various ways often immersing the user in ever more realistic experiential scenarios. Yet, is something potentially lost with these advancements that can only be afforded through the time-tested method of old-fashioned reading? What makes reading so compelling a medium/activity for personal development? Does experience in these interactive environments offer the same transformative intrinsic experience afforded through the tranquil receptive processing, reflective elaboration and insight offered through the reading of books? This thesis seeks to explore these questions by looking at three major factors that must be considered in furthering our understanding of the potentials and limitations of interactive narrative technologies as they compare to narrative delivered via the established medium of books: 1) theories of self, identity/character, cognitive development and behavior (specifically as these relate to traditional text-based narrative), 2) theory and research associated with narrative transportation and transformation, and 3) current and future efforts to adapt narrative to the medium of interactive technology.

In order to produce an Interactive MultiMedia Application (IMMA), the developer of that application needs a set of tools for such tasks as capturing, modifying, editing, sequencing, synchronizing, archiving, versioning, and backing up. The heart of this set of tools is an Integrator which can be used by the developer to assemble various multimedia objects into an IMMA and provide the end-user with ways of interacting with that IMMA. This work focuses on that essential tool - the multimedia Integrator. The Integrator uses a graphical interface that exploits a notation like that of a musical score. The IMMA produced by the Integrator is inherently parallel and includes elements required to define the asynchronous nature of applications, along with a standard set of multimedia objects. The timing and synchronization representation used by the Integrator is based on the model presented by the HyTime standard group. We also have explored the representation of our objects and their attributes according to the Multimedia Hypermedia Expert Group (MHEG) standard model as defined by the MHEG committee. This work formalizes the design of the Integrator and its constructs using the HyTime Draft International Standard (ISO/IEC DIS 10744). Multimedia application objects and their attributes are described, timing and synchronization aspects of the Integrator and some examples of IMMAs are explained, and several of these examples using the HyTime document structuring language are given. / Master of Science