What is "geowall"

A GeoWall is a low cost interactive 3D stereoscopic projection system. It consists of a computer with a dual-output graphics card, two projectors, a rack to hold them, polarizing filters, silver screen, a pair of cheap polarized glasses for each user, and (optionally) one or two monitors. This can be put together for well under US$10,000, or bought as a turnkey system at a higher price from various vendors. There are equivalent systems under other names e.g. passive 3D display.

This article uses the word 'GeoWall' as a convenient trisyllabic equivalent for "low-cost polarization-based dual-projector interactive 3D stereoscopic system". Interactivity is a crucial aspect to GeoWalls, particularly for real-time data exploration. Without interactivity, a GeoWall is merely a system for viewing 3D films — a cheap 3D IMAX on a smaller screen.

GeoWalls are examples of passive Virtual Reality, in the sense that there is no head tracking. Instead of a complete immersive experience for one user, there is a partial immersive experience for multiple users. This makes it suitable for classrooms, group presentations, and interactive museum shows.