MAPPER Device-Independent Interaction and Navigation in Virtual Environments Project duration: 1996-1997 Contact: Chris Faisstnauer, Dieter Schmalstieg, Zsolt Szalavari
Description	The Mapper implements a new approach to the integration of input devices into virtual environment software systems, that allow increased flexibility and levitate the programmer from considering the peculiarities of different input devices and navigation styles
Application	Any kind of 3-D application or virtual environment can benefit from the simple and powerful support for device-independence, including games, modeling and visualization programs and training/simulation applications.
Problems	The lack of standards regarding input devices results in applications that allow only a limited choice of input devices. Support for a new device may require changes in the application, or the application may not be able to fully support the features of the new device. Also, the application may depend on certain devices to be present and may refuse to operate otherwise.
Approach	The Mapper acts as a mediator between input device drivers and virtual environment application. Major advantages of our approach are full device-independence, including the easy integration of new input devices and emulation of missing device capabilities, interactive reconfiguration, sharing of input devices among multiple applications, automatic selection of devices and interaction appropriate for the task, and high-level support for a large variety of navigation styles in virtual environments.
Publications	Device-Independent Navigation and Interaction in Virtual Environments : C. Faisstnauer, D. Schmalstieg, Zs. Szalavari.

The Mapper hides device peculiarities behind a simple-to-program interface. Device utilization can be tailored to the user's likings using special preference lists.

The Mapper also provides high-level metaphors for navigating three-dimensional spaces, such as walking, driving, flying etc. The application does not have to deal with the simulation of the navigation metaphor, the car, skateboard, plane etc. is "built" into the Mapper. The image shows a user walking over a three-dimensional landscape.