The Laboratory of Virtual Reality (Spatial Hub predecessor) is established in 2006. Department of Informatics gets the national project from which large 3D projection, 3D mouse and other basic VR equipment is being purchased. A new PhD student David Procházka oversees the realisation of the project...
2006
Laboratory uses 3D visualisation mostly for spatial data analysis. Jitka Machalová examines the impact of different visualisation methods on decision-making. David Procházka is dedicated to developing applications using 3D technology. The first experimental projects are created: 3D fractal generator, landscape development models, 3D movies…
2009
We buy our first faster Apple computer. It is Mac Pro with Xeon processors, huge RAM (for that time) and nVidia Quadro cards. We start some experiments with movie processing and multimedia generally.
2012
For many years, the laboratory has been used primarily for visualisation. In 2012, after meeting in Škoda Auto, we are starting to devote ourselves to the AuRel (Engine for Enhanced Reality) project. Frankly, we were not very successful, however, the whole laboratory is gradually changing the focus on user interface and computer vision.
2013
Thanks to the collaboration with Geodis, a new research is being launched. We try to apply computer vision methods to detect natural objects in point clouds. In later years, the data for this research will be provided by many GIS companies. But the beginnings are humble. We play even with Microsoft Kinect and as a side effect, we develop a presentation engine controlled by gestures.
2014
This year we host the GIS Hackathon event for the first time. It will become a traditional event where GIS professionals, students, and academics will meet. We will cover different topics from spatial data analysis and drones, trough mobile applications and beacons to UX and chatbots.
2014
We are deepening our cooperation with Envipartner. The Brno-based company that focuses mainly on asset inventory, flood and emergency plans. This cooperation leads to Gisella a few years later. A mobile GIS suitable for asset inventory that is available in the Android Play store. It’s our first public mobile app, which we created from the scratch!
2015
We start our long-term cooperation with DC Concept (now QI Group) to redesign the QI ERP. QI Group is so far our biggest customer in the area of UX.
Getting new VR development kit called Oculus Rift, we restart our effort in 3D visualisation. It seems that virtual reality could finally penetrate into ordinary households. Or not? We try to visualize spatial data in it. We also rebuild the lab to make more space for VR setups.
2016
The lab is already 10 years old! Given that the group’s main focus is on the area of spatial analysis and location based services, we are renaming it to the Spatial Hub. That “Hub” is not accidental. We do not want the lab to be a stage that shows up on the open door day, but a place where it’s nice to go. We add a coffee maker, (a somewhat controversial) wall decoration…
GIS courses are undergoing innovation. Part of the GIS course is a project that has both a technical and economic dimension and must be defended before CEO of a spatial business intelligence company. The social and economic GIS applications are newly focused on advanced processing and interpretation of socio-economic and environmental data. Mobile apps courses show how to create a custom location-based service for iOS or Android. Mobile and Map Application specialization offers relatively comprehensive education in the field of spatial analytics and mobile technologies. The GIS Hackathons continue…
2019
After many years, we finally completely rebuild the laboratory. The old 3D projection is removed. We make new lights, floor, electricity, infrastructure for VR and beacons, etc. The whole lab is customizable. The tables with integrated power conduits can be moved. We have OLED TVs for meetings, several VR setups, new iMac Pros, graphics workstations with RTX cards, HoloLens, etc. We enter the second decade with completely new equipment and the team that is four times larger than 10 years ago.
2021
Mendel University in Brno officially signs an agreement to become a scientific partner of the Competence Center for Knowledge-Based Applications and Systems (Know-Center) funded by the Austrian government. Know-Center, which is one of the leading research centers in Europe, conducts research in the fields of data-driven business, artificial intelligence, big data analysis, knowledge discovery and cognitive computing. We plan to deepen our collaboration especially in the areas of natural language processing and artificial intelligence.
