: Visualization is often referred to as scientific visualization or visualization in scientific computing. Visualization helps us extract useful information from complex or often voluminous data sets through the use of interactive graphics and imaging. The theory of visualization uses foundations of the following fields and unifying them: Computer Graphics, Image processing, Computer Vision, Computer Aided Design, Signal processing, User Interface Studies, Cognitive Science, and Computational Geometry. The visualization technology was started with excitement and enthusiasm and gradually changed the scientific field for the past two decades. In this presentation we briefly review the following topics: Visualization - Some important points to note Visualization - Microarchitecture workbench Visualization - Medical field Visualization - Computer Generated Forces (CGF).

Visualization in Scientific Computing.

In recent years, immersion has become a frequently emphasized factor in the geovisualization research agenda. A principal reason for this growing interest is the assumption that immersive virtual environments (IVE) facilitate the formation of spatial presence, generally understood as the sense of “being there”. In a virtually mediated environment, the feeling of being there is of particular concern for cartographic ambitions, in terms of generating insights through geospatial representation. Current literature indicates that immersive VR systems stimulate the experience of spatial presence; however, this assumption is mainly based upon user studies in the visual communication channel. Moreover, research on IVE for geovisualization matters has to date been focused on visual-graphical rather than on auditive or even multisensory representations in virtual space. In this context, the present paper aims to evaluate the potential of audiovisual cartography with immersive virtual environments. Following a brief discussion of basic concepts, such as immersion, spatial presence and embodiment, we will integrate these aspects into a geovisualization immersion pipeline (GIP), as a framework with which to systematically link the technical and cognitive aspects of IVE. In the subsequent sections, we will examine this framework in the audio channel by analyzing how sound is implemented and perceived in GeoIVE. As we shall see, the positive effect of a combined audio-visual vs. exclusively visual presentation is supported by a series of user studies of sound effects, making audiovisual cartography with IVE a rich and worthwhile field of research.

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The Sound of Being There: Audiovisual Cartography with Immersive Virtual Environments

For decades, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies have remained absent from science and engineering workflows due to the custom-built nature of the hardware and software and oftentimes highly task-specific design. In addition to high cost, these characteristics create a critical entry barrier for most users to invest in VR and AR applications. Recent developments in both VR and AR technologies in the commercial sector have resulted in the availability of affordable consumer-grade and reliable VR and AR hardware and software tools. However, significant research is needed to adapt VR and AR technology use for data-intensive scientific and engineering applications such as network modeling research, human sciences research, and visualization of complex simulated environments. Our VR and AR applications provide examples of how scientists and engineers can use advanced visualization technologies to perform data analysis and assessment, thus transforming scientific discovery.

Virtual and Augmented Reality Applications to Support Data Analysis and Assessment of Science and Engineering

For decades Virtual Reality (VR) has remained out of our offices and everyday workflows due to its high cost, its custombuilt nature, and its often narrow design for highly specific tasks. These characteristics create a very high entry barrier for most users to use VR technology. Users typically had to be well funded, possess a high degree of expertise, spend weeks of effort porting VR capable software, or go to a specialized visualization laboratory. Recently, the cost is coming down significantly as new affordable consumer-grade VR devices are becoming available (e.g., zSpace). However, in order to incorporate VR technology into our everyday office settings, the entry barrier must be lowered significantly. This paper describes a VR framework that lowers the entry barrier for everyday users. The framework is designed on the visualization workflow of typical users working with scientific visualization in university settings. It includes a regular desktop computer, a typical non-VR display, a consumergrade immersive VR display (zSpace), and frequently-used visualization applications (ParaView, EnSight). By designing and building this framework, we aim at measuring and studying the usefulness and effects of integrating VR technology in everyday office settings. While the framework will be initially tested with ParaView, the study aims at producing generalizable findings that extend to users of other 3D desktop applications such as 3DS Max or Maya. This can help users and software companies to add similar support in their packages and allow users to experience VR in everyday environments.

Virtual reality enabled scientific visualization workflow

We present a high-resolution interactive and collaborative data visualization framework capable of supporting multiple user interaction on a large screen display. The data visualization framework takes advantage of SAGE2 collaborative visualization workspace. SAGE2 is designed to take multiple displays and use them as one high-resolution multiuser workspace. SAGE2 users are able to access and manipulate this workspace through a modern web browser. Our data visualization framework, ParaSAGE, supports scientific data visualization by extending ParaViewWeb into a SAGE2 desktop application where a subset of ParaView scientific visualization functionalities is accessible to SAGE2 users. We also developed a SAGE2 desktop application based on D3.js library to support information data visualization efforts.

High-Resolution Interactive and Collaborative Data Visualization Framework for Large-Scale Data Analysis

The availability of low-cost virtual reality (VR) systems coupled with a growing population of researchers accustomed to newer interface styles makes this a ripe time to help domain science researchers cross the bridge to utilizing immersive interfaces. The logical next step is for scientists, engineers, doctors, etc. to incorporate immersive visualization into their exploration and analysis workflows. However, from past experience, we know having access to equipment is not sufficient. There are also several software hurdles to overcome. Obstacles must be lowered to provide scientists, engineers, and medical professionals low-risk means of exploring technologies beyond their desktops.

Immersive ParaView: A community-based, immersive, universal scientific visualization application

Data visualization and interaction is an important part of understanding and analyzing complex data. Immersive display systems provide benefits to exploration. In this paper, we present a user study to analyze co-located tasks and behaviors during a collaboration task. Results from this study helped us to identify patterns in co-located collaborative interaction to be able to better design remote collaborative environments. We discuss the challenges while interacting with data in an immersive data visualization environment and our design of a remote interactive collaboration framework for analysis and workflow of data visualizations. The goal of this framework is to preserve the benefits of physically co-located collaboration actions and add the benefits of virtual components that do not conform to real world restrictions.

Nikhil Shetty

Papers

Immersive ParaView: A community-based, immersive, universal scientific visualization application

Evaluation of Collaborative Actions to Inform Design of a Remote Interactive Collaboration Framework for Immersive Data Visualizations