Browsing by Author "Volpe, James"

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    The Effects of Task, Task Mapping, and Layout Space on User Performance in Information-Rich Virtual Environments
    Polys, Nicholas F.; Shupp, Lauren; Volpe, James; Glina, Vladimir; North, Christopher L. (Department of Computer Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 2006)
    How should abstract information be displayed in Information-Rich Virtual Environments (IRVEs)? There are a variety of techniques available, and it is important to determine which techniques help foster a user’s understanding both within and between abstract and spatial information types. Our evaluation compared two such techniques: Object Space and Display Space. Users strongly prefer Display Space over Object Space, and those who use Display Space may perform better. Display Space was faster and more accurate than Object Space for tasks comparing abstract information. Object Space was more accurate for comparisons of spatial information. These results suggest that for abstract criteria, visibility is a more important requirement than perceptual coupling by depth and association cues. They also support the value of perceptual coupling for tasks with spatial criteria.
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    Integration of VT ETD-db with Banner
    Volpe, James; McMillan, Gail; Fox, Edward A. (Department of Computer Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 2008)
    The Electronic Thesis and Dissertation database (ETD-db) was developed at Virginia Tech by Digital Library and Archives for the VT Graduate School and the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD). The software is freely available and over 100 universities worldwide have implemented the ETD-db system. One drawback of the system is the dependence on user keyed data. At Virginia Tech, like most other universities, there is an administrative database that could provide much of this information. The Banner Administrative System is the central administration system at Virginia Tech. Banner’s underlying database software is from Oracle. This paper will demonstrate how the ETD-db can be seamlessly integrated with an Oracle database or more specifically the Banner Administrative System, to improve the integrity of the data for ETDs.