Project Background
Data
visualization is one of the most important
areas of information management and no more so than for those "Grand
Challenge" problems that require High Performance Visualization (HPV).
HPV
is characterised by high-quality graphics, large datasets,
computationally-intensive tasks, large scale data distribution and
often
extensive data communication. A typical HPV task is a complex feedback
process,
involving data collection, visualization design, task parallelisation,
immersive visual display and interfacing with the corresponding data
generator
such as a simulation engine. Recent
hardware and software advances have demonstrated that it is now
practicable to run large visual computing tasks over heterogeneous
hardware with output on multiple types of display devices. As the
complexity of the enabling infrastructure increases, then so too do the
demands upon the programmers for task integration, as well as the
demands upon the users of the system. This places importance on system
developers to create systems that reduce these demands. Such a goal is
an important factor of autonomic computing, aspects of which we have
used to influence our work.
In this
collaborative project, we researched into the infrastructural
technology for visualization from several angles. We built on our
knowledge of the historic developments and applications to formulate a
novel conceptual
framework. We developed a simulation system to experiment with a
variety of problems in an abstract manner. We designed and implemented
new algorithms,
techniques, modelling schemas, and systems to establish the technical
feasibility of our proposed conceptual framework. We evaluated the
developed systems with a collection of visualization applications.
This project was funded by the
between November 2003 and February 2007.Components
SimuVis is a
simulation
environment, where models and protocols will be implemented to simulate
a variety of HPV environments and applications, and used to verify
abstract HPV models, and evaluate various management algorithms and
strategies in a “controlled” environment. SimuVis is
capable of simulating widely different system architectures and tasks
within the same framework. With the aid of its abstract specification
of hardware, its XML schema for building a virtual visualization
infrastructure, its GUI for customizing built-in resource managers and
visualization tasks, and its API for defining more complex ones, the
user can carry out a simulation task with very little effort,
especially in comparison with the complexity involved in constructing a
live visualization infrastructure for testing different technical components and algorithms.
is
the multi-platform
client/server
environment that manages the visualization task, which interfaces
with an underlying Grid infrastructure through Grid middleware. In
e-Viz, the running of a visualization task primarily involves three
system entities, namely a client computer, a Grid-based server
infrastructure, and a broker computer. The client is supported by two
software modules, a
launcher application and a generic UI used to control pipeline
parameters, and to display and interact with visualization results. The
launcher is the entry point to the e-Viz system, and provides a
wizard-based UI that allows users to specify their jobs in terms of
input data sets and desired visualization output. Through Grid
middleware, it makes calls to the web services on the broker computer. |
 |
| e-Viz Wizard and User Interface,
running a volume rendering application |
e-Viz User Interface, running an
application to visualize pollution from a smoke stack |
Contact Details
For more information email: n.w.john@bangor.ac.ukCollaborators
 Bangor University Prof. Nigel John Chris Hughes Ade Fewings |
 University of Wales, Swansea Prof. Min Chen Dr Mark Jones David Chisnall Nicolas Roard
|
 University
of Leeds
Prof. Ken Brodlie Dr Jason Wood |
 University of Manchester Dr John Brooke Mark Riding |