One of the fronts that I'm most excited about for virtual and 3D technologies is their integration with realworld data and applications that enable people and businesses to work in new and better ways.
That "mirrorworld" aspect took a big step forward today with IBM announcing "new technologies that recreate data centers in a secure virtual world -- bringing real-time data from different facilities into a 3-D environment to visualize hot spots, data flow, server utilization and more to better monitor and manage the entire IT platform." (see more details
here.)
I think this practical project strongly underscores what IBMers mean when we talk about a 3D Web or Internet: the use of 3D environments to do new things, or to do current work better by tapping into the power of human visual intelligence.
In this case the goal is a way to use information, presented in 3D context , to help data centers run more efficiently.
One could easily envision how this approach could apply to many other challenges in business and society, such as the workflow of factory floors or manufacturing facilities, an area that
Visual Components of Finland has been specializing in.
Another visionary company, Forterra Systems, is demonstrating the revolutionary potential for virtual environments as training, simulation and research tools, in areas including healthcare and homeland defense.
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