A perspective on visualization

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A perspective on visualization

• Nancy Soreide
• Christopher Moore
• NOAA/PMEL

Colloquium on High-Performance Computing in
Climate and Weather Research June 20, 2002,
Princeton, NJ
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Background

• Computational power
• is increasing
• Observational systems
• sample the environment more densely
• Environmental data and model results
• have become increasingly large, complex,
• and are geographically distributed across
  heterogeneous computing platforms
• Posing a problem which has been recognized for
  some time

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Solution
Scientific visualization, exploiting the brains
natural pattern recognition ability, is the best
means available for making sense of large,
complex scientific datasets
Data and Visualization Corridors, Report on the
1998 DVC Workshop Series, Edited by Paul H. Smith
and John van Rosendale, Sponsored by the
Department of Energy and the National Science
Foundation, 1998.
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Model output of Bering Sea sea surface
heightcolored by temperature
Contouring can mask high frequency signals
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Astoria Canyon Bathymetry
Contouring masks high frequency signals High
frequency spikes in the bathymetry data are
obvious in the 3D plot (right) and are obscured
in the 2D plot above. Calculations of
bathymetry gradients to identify regions of
internal tide generation would be impacted by
these spikes in the bathymetry data.
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Todays Technologies
For Outreach and for Science
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Evolution in graphics
Hurricane Floyd, GFDL model simulation

• From paper to the desktop
• Hand contouring
• Software generated contours
• Ferret, Matlab, krieging methods
• Software generated isosurfaces
• Matlab isosurfaces, Ferret mesh plots
• 3D with Vis5D, Iris Explorer

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Emergent Technologies
Pollock larvae near Kodiak Island, AK, PMEL model
results

• Interacting with the data
• 3D stereographic visualization
• Virtual Reality
• Immersive Virtual Reality

http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/vrml/hermann/shelikof/lag
-multipath-87-morph.wrl
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3D stereographic visualization
Viewing a three-dimensional surface printed on a
flat page is like viewing the world with one eye
closed - the depth perception which
stereographic vision affords us is lost. With
two eyes you clearly see which parts of the
object lie in front of or behind other parts, and
clearly distinguish up from down, left from
right, and forward from backward.
a researcher who routinely uses low-cost 3D
stereographic visualization on his desktop PC
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3D stereographic visualization
A 99-cent pair of red/green sci-fi glasses will
cause the vectors to pop out of the page,
revealing the true 3D motions.
In this flat vector field from a biophysical
model, true direction and magnitude is difficult
to detect.
http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/hermann/vrml/stereo.html
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Immersive Virtual Reality

• Provides the graphical illusion of being in a
  three-dimensional space by displaying visual
  output in 3D and stereo
• Navigating through our virtual environments and
  viewing the data from different vantage points
  greatly increases our ability to perform analysis
  of scientific data.
• Users of advanced immersion technologies affirm
  that no other techniques provide a similar sense
  of presence and insight into their datasets.

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The CAVE
The CAVE is a multi-person, high resolution, 3D
graphics video and audio virtual environment, the
size of a small room. Inside a CAVE, scientists
are fully immersed in their data. Images appear
to float in space, with the user free to "walk"
around them.
CAVES have been deployed in academia, government,
and industry, including NASA, NCAR, NCSA, ARSC,
Argon National Laboratory, Caterpillar Corp.,
General Motors, among others. http//www.pyramidsy
stems.com/CAVE.html
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The ImmersaDesk
The ImmersaDesk is a portable, semi-immersive
virtual reality device.
Over 195 immersive virtual reality devices, from
9 different vendors, were in use in Feb 2000,
over 2 years ago. http//www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/VR/cave
rnus/users.html
http//www.noaanews.noaa.gov/magazine/stories/mag1
9.htm
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NOAA ImmersaDeskRoad Tour 2002

• NOAA Tech 2002, Oct 2001, Silver Spring, MD
• AOML, Jan 2002, Miami, FL
• President Bush demo, Feb 2002, Silver Spring, MD
• NSSL, Feb 2002, Norman, OK
• CABLE 2002/NOAA booth, May 2002, New Orleans, LA
• Boulder Labs, June 2002, Boulder, CO
• Future plans GFDL, NCEP,

http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/vrml/html/road.html
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Virtual Reality
Supercell visualization showing rare positive
ground strike, NSSL
Lightning flash initiation in green, and positive
(orange) and negative (blue) flash
channels. Notice new cell forming to the left of
the main cell, and a new updraft forming behind
the main updraft
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Virtual Reality
Hurricane approaching New Orleans, GFDL model
results
Outreach
Created for Cable 2002 telecommunications
conference, which was held in New Orleans
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Virtual Reality
Realtime El Nino demonstrations
Outreach
Demonstrations for President Bush, February 2002,
Silver Spring, MD
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Virtual Reality
Hurricane Olivia, AOML aircraft radar data
Reflectivity from aircraft radar flown through
hurricane Olivia 30 dbz reflectivity isosurface,
colored by wind speed. Wind vectors are in blue,
and a purple contour slice of vertical velocity
is shown
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Virtual Reality
Indonesian through flow, University of Washington
model results
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Co-processingViewing the model results while the
model is running
Real-time monitoring on the course of the
simulation can enable the visualization of very
large data sets. Indeed, for large-data
problems, co-processing might be the only
practical way to visually analyze the data, since
post-processing of such large data sets is, at
best, a daunting task.
Trends in Graphics and Visualization, DoD HPC
Modernization Program, January 1998.
http//www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Vis/Publications/trends.h
tml
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Computational SteeringAdjust parameters while
the model is running
The most exciting potential of visualization
tools is the ability to test and develop code
interactively. The scientist should be able to
spot visual anomalies while computing and
immediately steer, or modify the calculations, to
test new theories. successful interactive
computing can dramatically increase the pace of
scientific or engineering progress.
Visualization in Scientific Computing, a report
prepared for the National Science Foundation,
1987.
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Collaboratories Information Technology for
Climate Research
The fusion of computers and electronic
communications has the potential to dramatically
enhance the output and productivity of U. S.
researchers. A major step toward realizing that
potential can come from combining the interests
of the scientific community at large with those
of the computer science and engineering community
to create integrated, tool-oriented computing and
communication systems to support scientific
collaboration.
National Collaboratories - Applying Information
Technology for Scientific Research, Committee on
a National Collaboratory, National Research
Council. National Academy Press, Washington, D.
C., 1993.
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More Information

• NOAA Magazine article about ImmersaDesk
• http//www.noaanews.noaa.gov/magazine/stories/mag1
  9.htm
• NOAA ImmersaDesk Road Tour 2002
• http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/vrml/html/road.html
• PMEL Virtual Reality web page
• http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/vrml/3DViz.html
• Low cost, desktop 3D visualization/Virtual
  Reality
• http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/hermann/vrml/stereo.html
  
• This presentation
• http//www.epic.noaa.gov/talks/nns/gfdl/