IEEE VIS Publication Dataset

This paper describes our work on visualizing the information of a tennis match. We use competition trees to organize the information of a tennis match and visualize the competition trees by the top-nesting layered maps with translucent colored layers. We create iconic representations to describe the detailed information of athletic events in an intuitive manner. Specialized views of the information are displayed by applying multiple Magic Lens filters on the top-nesting layered maps. The dynamic nature of the tennis match is depicted by the time-varying display. The approach we present in this paper can be used to visualize other sports information, information with competition property, or information with hierarchical structure

We present a case study of visualizing the global topology of the Internet MBone. The MBone is the Internet's multicast backbone. Multicast is the most efficient way of distributing data from one sender to multiple receivers with minimal packet duplication. Developed and initially deployed by researchers within the Internet community, the MBone has been extremely popular for efficient transmission across the Internet of real-time video and audio streams such as conferences, meetings, congressional sessions, and NASA shuttle launches. The MBone, like the Internet itself grew exponentially with no central authority. The resulting suboptimal topology is of growing concern to network providers and the multicast research community. We create a geographic representation of the tunnel structure as arcs on a globe by resolving the latitude and longitude of MBone routers. The interactive 3D maps permit an immediate understanding of the global structure unavailable from the data in its original form as lines of text with only hostnames and IP addresses. Data visualization techniques such as grouping and thresholding allow further analysis of specific aspects of the MBone topology. We distribute the interactive 3D maps through the World-Wide Web using the VRML file format thus allowing network maintainers throughout the world to analyze the structure move effectively than would be possible with still pictures or pre-made videos

Search engines are very useful because they allow the user to retrieve documents of interest from the World-Wide Web. However, if the user's query results in lots of records to be retrieved, just listing the results is not very user-friendly. We are developing a system that allows the visualization of the results. Visualizations of both text and image search are generated on the fly based on the search results

Our approach to testing graphical user interfaces involves logging large amounts of data. These logs capture information at the key press and mouse click level about how an application is used. Since the raw data is voluminous and not at a useful level of detail, we use analysis and visualization to find information that is interesting and useful to a usability analyst but was previously buried in the data. We call some of our custom visualizations ÔÇ£contextualÔÇØ meaning they use key elements of the context the data was collected in as an organizing structure. We expect this type of visualization to be easier and faster to understand and more helpful than traditional charts. We hope that our finding a natural geometry for these visualizations will inspire others whose data apparently has no inherent geometry to find natural ways to visualize their data

In many mechanical design-related activities, a visualization tool needs to convey not only the shape of the objects, but also their interior problem regions. Due to the binary nature of these models, existing shading models often fall short of supporting a realistic display. In this case study, we present several new contextual shading methods that we originally developed for our design visualization tools. The results are then compared with gray-scale shading applied to a gray-level version of the binary object. The comparison shows that our method can be applied to any binary object and yields promising results.

It is well known that the spatial frequency spectra of membrane and thin-plate splines exhibit self-affine characteristics and hence behave as fractals. This behavior was exploited in generating the constrained fractal surfaces in the work of Szeliski and Terzopoulos (1989), which were generated by using a Gibbs sampler algorithm. The algorithm involves locally perturbing a constrained spline surface with white noise until the spline surface reaches an equilibrium state. In this paper, we introduce a very fast generalized Gibbs sampler that combines two novel techniques, namely a preconditioning technique in a wavelet basis for constraining the splines and a perturbation scheme in which, unlike the traditional Gibbs sampler, all sites (surface nodes) that do not share a common neighbor are updated simultaneously. In addition, we demonstrate the capability to generate arbitrary-order fractal surfaces without resorting to blending techniques. Using this fast Gibbs sampler algorithm, we demonstrate the synthesis of realistic terrain models from sparse elevation data.

Volume visualization techniques typically provide support for visual exploration of data, however additional information can be conveyed by allowing a user to see as well as feel virtual objects. We present a haptic interaction method that is suitable for both volume visualization and modeling applications. Point contact forces are computed directly from the volume data and are consistent with the isosurface and volume rendering methods, providing a strong correspondence between visual and haptic feedback. Virtual tools are simulated by applying three-dimensional filters to some properties of the data within the extent of the tool, and interactive visual feedback rates are obtained by using an accelerated ray casting method. This haptic interaction method was implemented using a PHANToM haptic interface.

A technique is presented for the layout of high dimensional data in a low dimensional space. This technique builds upon the force based methods that have been used previously to make visualisations of various types of data such as bibliographies and sets of software modules. The canonical force based model, related to solutions of the N body problem, has a computational complexity of O(N 2) per iteration. The paper presents a stochastically based algorithm of linear complexity per iteration which produces good layouts, has low overhead, and is easy to implement. Its performance and accuracy are discussed, in particular with regard to the data to which it is applied. Experience with application to bibliographic and time series data, which may have a dimensionality in the tens of thousands, is described.

The authors describe a graphical system developed for researchers in materials science for extracting information from data obtained by atomic force microscopy. In particular, they consider the problem of computing surface orientations from data obtained from ceramic materials. The visualization problems they consider in designing this system include finding useful mechanisms for the researcher to interact with the data, presenting results in forms familiar to the scientist, and enhancing traditional display techniques.

Typically, feedback from analysis of three-dimensional volume image structures are presented in the visual domain. This ignores the potential for complementary analysis of feedback in the aural domain. This paper presents a system in which visualization of a volume image may be enhanced through representation of the voxel structure by a sound sequence (termed a 'sonification') in which a sequence of sound signals is generated by the mapping of voxel values to pitch, amplitude, timing and other acoustic parameters according to the design of the selected sound instrument(s). Stereo audio or spatial audio processing techniques are employed to enhance the perception of the representative sonification as emanating from the visual loci of the associated voxel.

We present a new visualization approach to support design for manufacturing (DFM). This involves the correlation of manufacturing problems with the causative geometric characteristics. We then discuss the use of distance transform and 3-D thinning to extract these characteristics from a voxelized object. In contrast to current computer aided engineering (CAE) tools, our system is very efficient and simple to use. It does not require the skill and experience to generate and control a numerical mesh and interpret the results. The specifically tailored visualization system makes the results self-evident. Though the current domain is die casting, it could potentially be applied to many net shape processes.

Anatomy-based facial tissue modeling for surgical simulation is a field whose time has come. Real-time facial animation has been created in the last few years using models based on the anatomical structure of the human skin. Anatomy-based models are also under development in the field of medical visualization, with which facial surgery can be realistically simulated. In this article, we present an anatomy-based 3D finite element tissue model. Integrated into a computer-aided surgical planning system, this model allows the precise prediction of soft tissue changes resulting from the realignment of the underlying bone structure. The model has already been used in our Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and has improved craniofacial surgical planning procedures. The model is described in detail, and surgical simulation results are shown and discussed.

In the last five years, there has been numerous applications of wavelets and multiresolution analysis in many fields of computer graphics as different as geometric modelling, volume visualization or illumination modelling. Classical multiresolution analysis is based on the knowledge of a nested set of functional spaces in which the successive approximations of a given function converge to that function, and can be efficiently computed. This paper first proposes a theoretical framework which enables multiresolution analysis even if the functional spaces are not nested, as long as they still have the property that the successive approximations converge to the given function. Based on this concept, we finally introduce a new multiresolution analysis with exact reconstruction for large data sets defined on uniform grids. We construct a one-parameter family of multiresolution analyses which is a blending of Haar and linear multiresolution, using BLaC (Blending of Linear and Constant) wavelets.

The recent years have seen rapid advancement towards viewing the Earth as an integrated system. This means that we have come to understand the interdependence of the major planetary subsystems-atmosphere, biosphere, oceans and the deep earth interior-on a large range of time and length scales. One of the longest time scales of the planet is imposed by solid state convection within the silicate Earth mantle. Mantle convection modeling, and other earth science modeling efforts, now are producing simulation data on grids that are large enough to strain the memory and processing power of even the largest high-end graphics workstations. Another alternative is to use parallel visualization tools running on the massively parallel computers that generated the data. This is the approach that we have taken for the visualization of mantle convection simulation data.

As ecological awareness increases there has been a shift towards more integrated forest management. Accurate modeling of future states of forested landscapes will allow better planning for safeguarding our forest resource for future generations. We present an initial exploration into providing visual access to information generated by SELES (Spatially Explicit Landscape Event Simulator). We explore the application of our visual access distortion technique to a block of temporal data created from a sequence of landscape event based information. This type of access extends the possibilities of visual exploration for temporal and spatial interrelations in a data set.

The paper presents an example of how existing visualization methods can be successfully applied-after minor modifications-for allowing new, sometimes unexpected insight into scientific questions, in this case for better understanding of unknown, microscopic biological structures. The authors present a volume rendering system supporting the visualization of LCM datasets, a new microscopic tomographic method allowing for the first time accurate and fast in-vivo inspection of the spatial structure of microscopic structures, especially important in (but not restricted to) biology. The speed, flexibility and versatility of the system allows fast, convenient, interactive operation with large datasets on small computers (workstation or PC). By testing different datasets, they have been able to significantly improve the performance of understanding the internal structure of LCM data. Most important, they have been able to show static and dynamic structures of cells never seen before and allowing significant insight in the cell movement process. Therefore they regard the system as a universal tool for the visualization of such data.

As the amount of electronic information explodes, hierarchies to handle this information become huge and complex. Visualizing and interacting with these hierarchies become daunting tasks. The problem is exacerbated if the visualization is to be done on mass-market personal computers, with limited processing power and visual resolution. Many of the current visualization techniques work effectively for hierarchies of 1000 nodes, but as the number of nodes increases toward 5000, these techniques tend to break down. Hierarchies above 5000 nodes usually require special modifications such as clustering, which can affect visual stability. This paper introduces Cheops, a novel approach to the representation, browsing and exploration of huge, complex information hierarchies such as the Dewey Decimal Classification system, which can contain between a million and a billion nodes. The Cheops approach maintains context within a huge hierarchy, while simultaneously providing easy access to details. This paper presents some preliminary results from usability tests performed on an 8-wide-by-9-deep classification hierarchy, which if fully populated would contain over 19 million nodes.

We describe a technique for choosing multiple colours for use during data visualization. Our goal is a systematic method for maximizing the total number of colours available for use, while still allowing an observer to rapidly and accurately search a display for any one of the given colours. Previous research suggests that we need to consider three separate effects during colour selection: colour distance, linear separation, and colour category. We describe a simple method for measuring and controlling all of these effects. Our method was tested by performing a set of target identification studies; we analysed the ability of thirty eight observers to find a colour target in displays that contained differently coloured background elements. Results showed our method can be used to select a group of colours that will provide good differentiation between data elements during data visualization.

The case study describes a system that allows the use of interactive volume rendering for routine clinical diagnosis. In this setup, a SGI RealityStation acts like a remote rendering system which is controlled by a user interface that was added to an existing clinical system. The paper describes some implementation aspects, including several system optimizations that were carried out in order to optimize rendering speed. Initial results are very promising; the authors present three examples of clinical findings that were made using this system. Because of the setup, clinicians are now much more aware of the possibilities that modern hardware offers for interactive volume visualization.