People-centered technology

Industry, research and everyday life can no longer be imagined without the computer. Nearly every computer has access to the World Wide Web, the global information pool of the modern information society. While the steadily increasing power of computers and the exploding quantities of available data create many new possibilities, these advances also make it very hard for many people who have to use computers to operate hardware and software and cope with information overload.

The Fraunhofer IGD has set itself the goal of offering its customers from industry and business new ways to solve these problems. We focus on the person as a user and want to help him or her work with the computer more easily and more efficiently in a more results-oriented way. This is why we have been introducing technologies and applications that build on visual computing for over 20 years. This technological field captures, processes and uses images and graphics for all conceivable computer-based applications.

Our researchers bring images into interplay with non-graphical application data in a decisive way: Images are integrated with data of other types, such as audio, language and video, with support by the computer. Advanced dialog technologies are developed for doing this. Findings based on visual computing make it possible to develop many new applications.

The Fraunhofer IGD focuses on selected skills and future challenges facing society, industry and business. They are summarized in the three research lines: “Semantics in the modeling process”, Interaction of computer graphics and computer vision” and “Generalized digital documents”. The Institute tracks new key topics from these three research lines and is a global leader in this area.

Through its numerous innovations, the Fraunhofer IGD raises the interaction between human and machine to a new level. The Fraunhofer IGD has another key task: to make new technologies easy and intuitive to use. The Institute is experienced and skilled enough to offer technical solutions for innovative products and services. We make a significant contribution to ensuring that the European economy remains competitive internationally. Together with various partners, we develop technical solutions and marketable products.

Forms of cooperation

The range of the work that has been carried out is as diverse as it is specialized: it extends from application-specific basic research, such as algorithms and system concepts, to prototype development. Specific customer requests are also met.

We offer our customers top technology so that they can be successful in the market. We are in the business of developing the information technology of tomorrow. Visual computing is a significant part of the IT infrastructure and is needed to create a modern information and knowledge society.

Through applied research, the Institute provides critical support to industry and the economy in developing strategically. Even small and medium-sized companies and service centers can profit from it. We offer services for all needs – from large-scale projects to standard products and from industrial applications to private use.

The project types can be divided in:

Studies

Studies about the possibilities to use software systems and technologies, development of application scenarios.

Consulting

Support for the choice and introduction of software systems, consulting and training.

Development of Concepts

Specification of concepts for the realization of software components.

Software Development

Prototypical implementations, implementations for the verification of concepts, product and system implementations.

Software Modification

Modification of self-developed or commercial software systems to run on different hardware platforms and operating systems.