Computer Simulation Brings Maps to Life on Campus

SCIENCE -- August 15, 2011 at 12:09 PM EDT

Computer Simulation Brings Maps to Life on Campus

For the National Science Foundation's Science Nation,* science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports on a computing concept called Geo-immersion, which relies on virtual computer simulation to reflect the world around us in real-time.

Cyrus Shahabi, director of the University of Southern California's Integrated Media Systems Center, explains various Geo-Immersion applications developed at the center. One maps the trend of traffic over time to calculate the shortest driving routes. Another called iCampus maps energy usage on campus, the real-time location of students using Twitter and the distance of USC buses from campus bus stops.

For the record, the National Science Foundation is an underwriter of the NewsHour.

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