Visual Computing Trends 2023 symposium highlights key human-centric technology Visual Computing

Visual Computing Trends 2023

VRVis science symposium brought cutting-edge visual computing research from around the world to Vienna on January. 26, 2023.

Group photo of the most important people at Visual Computing Trends: the VRVis management and the keynote speakers.

The organizers and keynote speakers of VCT 2023. From left to right: VRVis Managing Director Gerd Hesina, Prof. Eduard Gröller (TU Vienna), Ming C. Lin (University of Maryland), Marie-Paule Cani (École Polytechnique), Anders Ynnermann (Linköping University), former scientific director of VRVis Werner Purgathofer, and scientific director of VRVis Katja Bühler.

A woman, from behind, and a man, in front of a lectern and a VRVis banner smile at each other.

Katja Bühler and Gerd Hesina spoke the welcoming words at the Visual Computing Trends 2023 and also moderated the day of presentations.

A researcher stands smiling in front of an audience.

The VRVis scientific director, Katja Bühler, moderated both the morning's presentations and the award ceremony for the first VRVis Visual Computing Award.

A female researcher during a lecture, gesturing with her hands.

In her keynote, Marie-Paule Cani demonstrated the importance of visualization and computer graphics to better understand scientific findings, as well as natural phenomena such as global warming.

Eine Forscherin spricht vor einer Leinwand beim Visual Computing Trends Symposium.

Die amerikanische Informatikerin Ming C. Lin gab in ihrem Vortrag rund um das Thema Metaverse und Digitale Zwillinge einen Einblick in eine Reihe spannender praktischer Anwendungsbeispiele.

A researcher who raises his arms in speech.

In his keynote presentation - which he himself announced as provocative - Eduard Gröller gave an interesting overview of the most relevant visual computing topics of the future.

A researcher talks gesticulating at a lectern

In his talk, Anders Ynnerman presented his concept of "Exploranation" - a visual communication bridge between science and the public, clearly showing that visualization is essential for the successful realization of the digital transformation.

Two award winners with flowers and award certificate in the middle, on the right and on the left the scientific and management of VRVis

Visual Computing researchers Thomas Höllt from TU Delft (center left) and Gaia Pavoni from ISTI-CNR (center right) are the ex aequo winners of the first VRVis Visual Computing Award. With the award, VRVis aims to shine a spotlight on application-oriented visual computing research that has a lasting benefit for a better future.

Detail of a larger audience, all smiling.

VCT 2023 participants enjoyed four very diverse and, above all, enlightening keynotes.

Lecture hall with people looking at a screen, the lecturer in front.

The one-day Visual Computing Trends symposium gathered about 250 visitors from 14 countries.

As a versatile research field operating directly at the intersection of science and industry, visual computing is one of the most important cross-cutting technologies of the future. What this ultimately means was demonstrated by the four internationally renowned researchers Prof. Marie-Paule Cani (École Polytechnique, France), Prof. Ming C. Lin (University of Maryland, USA), Prof. Eduard Gröller (TU Wien, Austria) and Prof. Anders Ynnerman (Linköping University, Sweden) at the invitation of the COMET Center VRVis during the "Visual Computing Trends" symposium on January 26, 2023.

As Austria's leading and internationally renowned center of excellence in the field of visual computing, VRVis has been bringing key experts in international visualization, computer graphics, simulation, and artificial intelligence research to Vienna every two years since 2009. After a longer break due to the corona pandemic, this year's symposium was once again attended by well over 250 guests from 14 countries. VRVis Managing Director Gerd Hesina and Katja Bühler, Scientific Director of VRVis, moderated the event.

Who sees, understands - human-centered visual data exploration

Regardless of industry, science, or business: unimaginably large and, above all, complex data accumulates everywhere. In their lectures, the four keynote speakers showed how visual computing technology can be used universally and efficiently to create human-centered solutions that bring people into contact with their data more quickly and more immersively.

The keynotes covered the topics:

Digital Twins in the Metaverse (Ming C. Lin),
AI-enabled, interactive 3D environments as testbeds for science (Marie-Paule Cani),
Scalable visual analysis as the future of visual analytics research (Eduard Gröller), and
"Exploranation" - a visual communication link between research and the public (Anders Ynnerman).

Visual Computing for a better world

The symposium was rounded off by the presentation of the first VRVis Visual Computing Award 2023 to Gaia Pavoni (ISTI-CNR, Italy) and Thomas Höllt (TU Delft, Netherlands), whose research impressively demonstrates the high level of concrete impact of visual computing research in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. With this new award, VRVis highlights the significant role of the RTI sector, in particular application-oriented research, in developing sustainable and viable solutions for a green future.

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