Visual Computing Will Change Your Life

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A trio of 3D-enabling applications for transforming almost any ordinary business come to mind: large data-set visualization, videoconferencing, and on-demand video.

I think of large data-set visualization as a "Fly Through My Empire" application. For example, a large convenience store chain can see inventory levels of goods visible at the national, regional, state, local, and store levels. You spin a scroll wheel to fly in and out of the map. Red, yellow, and green lights represent the state of each supply level. A manager can see patterns quickly. Are the problems all in the Southeast? Is one manager responsible for all the trouble? Pick up the phone and call that guy!

IBM (IBM) offers a similar capability in a 3D medical information application called Medical Information Hub. Implemented by Thy-Mors and Aalborg Hospitals in Denmark, it maps patient records onto a representation of the human body so doctors can click on a body part and see related links, including descriptions, published papers, common diseases, treatments, and sometimes even the patient’s related history.

Videoconferencing can substitute for travel, saving expenses. But really good high-definition videoconferencing still costs a bundle. Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ) Halo and Cisco's (CSCO) TelePresence offer whole-room solutions that run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Procter & Gamble (PG), HSBC (HBC), Wachovia, SAP (SAP), and McKesson (MCK) are among the companies using TelePresence. Halo users include DreamWorks (DWA), AMD (AMD), and AIG (AIG). As bandwidth improves in general, and HP, Cisco, and others bring the cost and scope of the technology down, this ready-made application will grow more popular. Cisco already offers what it calls a "personal" version of TelePresence.

On-demand video refers to companies' use of video for general communications. For example, when a person browsing the company Web site clicks on a link, up pops a video rather than a text document. True, easier-to-use tools for creating and publishing video would help with adoption, but companies can get started with this type of programming with today's technology. Multicast, based in Atlanta, offers complete video systems and hosting services. Users include Coca Cola (KO), Prudential Georgia Realty, and The Knot.

A few obstacles keep mainstream commercial companies from joining the video revolution. First, 3D video and graphics still require the latest equipment, beefed up to the highest specification. Second, bandwidth is critical. You'll need at least 2 Mbps, and many parts of the U.S. infrastructure remain below that. Third, much of the best technology is still devilishly expensive. And then there's inertia: Many companies see no need or can't figure out where they fit in this new world.

Fortunately, costs are coming down, bandwidth is improving, and the public is beginning to understand the power of 3D. The change is inevitable. Don't be the last to figure it out.

Kay is the founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates (www.ndpta.com).