I. Carlbom, W. Hsu, G. Klinker, R. Szeliski, K. Waters, M. Doyle, J. Gettys, K.M. Harris, T.M. Levergood, R. Palmer, L. Palmer, M. Picart, D. Terzopoulos, D. Tonnesen, M. Vannier, G. Wallace Modeling and Analysis of Empirical Data in Collaborative Environments Communications of the ACM (CACM), Special Issue on the Siggraph'92 Showcase, Vol. 35, Number 6, June, 1992. (bib)
	Many tasks in such diverse fields as medicine, oil exploration, and mechanical design depend on the collection and interpretation of empirical data. Our long-term vision is a collaborative scientific visualization environment, where scientists, engineers, and physicians work together on modeling and analyzing empirical data using an integrated set of tools and techniques from computer graphics, computer vision and image processing. This environment would also take advantage of interaction techniques that include sound, spoken commands, and gestures. To illustrate how such an environment could be used, let us look at some hypothetical scenarios. In the first scenario, a radiologist gives an "interactive report" on findings in a CT scan to a surgeon at a remote location. This report contains three-dimensional data that is manipulated by the radiologist to illustrate features of interest. The surgen can see the radiologist as the report is delivered. The surgeon can also interject questions and manipulate the data to clarify the questions. Alternatively, this report can be left in the surgeon's electronic mail, to be accessed at a later time. Similarly, the surgeon may want to consult the radiologist from the operating room and discuss a preoperative or intraoperative scan. The surgeon and the radiologist can carry on a conversation between the operating room and the radiologist's office, while the radiologist monitors the operation on a workstation. In addition, both doctors can simultaneously manipulate, point at, and analyze the three-dimensional data.
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