The Geowall is a low-cost visualization system - essentially it is just a desktop PC (running Mac, Linux, or Windows flavor operating system) with a fast graphics card, two digital projectors, and a projector screen. The dual projectors superimpose an image on top of one another creating a passive stereo (or 3D) image, which can be observed by wearing cheap 3D stereo glasses. With the advent of newer, faster graphics cards, it is now possible to view quad-buffered stereo images and movies (the type of stereo that the SIO Visualization Center system uses).

This system is very cost effective for teaching science to college and graduate-level students, especially the often abstract 3-D aspects of geosciences.

The system was conceptualized by members of the University of Illinois Electronic Visualization Laboratory, and Paul Morin from the University of Minnesota. With hardware continually dropping in price, it is possible for a department to purchase a Geowall for under $10,000. Compared with an expensive high-end custom-built system, such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Visualization Center, it is a much more viable option for smaller institutions and high schools wishing to have a visualization system.

• Please check out the Frequently Asked Questions page for common configuration issues