IEEE VIS Publication Dataset

A hyperbox is a two-dimensional depiction of an N-dimensional box (rectangular parallelepiped). The authors define the visual syntax of hyperboxes, state some properties, and sketch two applications. Hyperboxes can be evocative visual names for tensors or multidimensional arrays in visual programming languages. They can also be used to simultaneously display all pairwise relationships in an N-dimensional dataset. This can be helpful in choosing a sequence of dimension-reducing transformations that preserve interesting properties of the dataset.

A method is presented for the visualization of 3D vector fields. The stream polygon, which is a regular, n-sided polygon, oriented normal to the local vector, can present local deformations due to rigid body rotation and both normal and shear strain. The effect of translation and scalar functions can be represented by sweeping the stream polygon along the streamline, and by appropriately varying the radius and shading the surface of the resulting streamtube. A mathematical foundation for the stream is developed, and examples with application to velocity field visualization are provided.

A recently completed implementation of a virtual environment for exploring numerically generated three-dimensional unsteady flowfields is described. A boom-mounted six-degree-of-freedom head-position-sensitive stereo CRT system is used for viewing. A hand-position-sensitive glove controller is used for injecting various tracers (e.g. smoke) into the virtual flowfield. A multiprocessor graphics workstation is used for computation and rendering. The techniques for visualizing unsteady flows are described, and the computer requirements for a variety of visualization techniques are discussed. These techniques generalize to visualization of other 3D vector fields

A method of visual comparison is described, that provides the scientist with a unique tool to study the qualitative relationships between three sequences of numbers or symbols. The program displays a 3D shape containing the sequence similarities and differences, which manifest themselves as simple geometric shapes and colors that a human observer can easily detect and classify. The method presents all possible correlations to the user, giving it a considerable advantage over existing sequence comparison tools that only search for a programmed subset of all possible correlations. Thus, using this technique, researchers may detect sequence similarities that other analytic methods might completely overlook. The program can also filter out undesirable or insignificant correlations. The technique is easily adapted to a wide range of applications

Current topographical mapping methods and problems associated with mapping are reviewed, and one approach for improving the spatial resolution of scalp recorded EEGs is detailed. In particular, techniques for interpolating the potential distribution and estimating the surface Laplacian from multichannel data are presented and applied to human evoked potential data. Although developed for electroencephalographic data, these spline algorithms can be applied to a variety of fields where visualization of spatial information is desired

A method for visualizing hierarchically structured information is described. The tree-map visualization technique makes 100% use of the available display space, mapping the full hierarchy onto a rectangular region in a space-filling manner. This efficient use of space allows very large hierarchies to be displayed in their entirety and facilitates the presentation of semantic information. Tree-maps can depict both the structure and content of the hierarchy. However, the approach is best suited to hierarchies in which the content of the leaf nodes and the structure of the hierarchy are of primary importance, and the content information associated with internal nodes is largely derived from their children

A description is given of the computer graphics aspects of two architectures designed for imaging and graphics. The two systems use parallel and pipelined architectures for high-performance graphics operations. UWGPSP3 uses only commercially available off-the-shelf chips, and consists of a TM34020 graphics system processor and four TMS34082 floating point coprocessors that can be configured into pipelined or SIMD modes depending on the algorithm. UWGSP4 uses dedicated ASIC chips for higher performance, and consists of two main computational parts: a parallel vector processor with 16 vector processing units, used mainly for image processing, and a graphics subsystem which utilizes a parallel pipelined architecture for image synthesis

This paper looks at the issues involved in using a visualization software package to extend the scope of an existing suite of semiconductor modeling software. The visualization software and its hardware platform represent the state of the art in powerful interactive workstation visualization systems. A range of important issues to be considered when applying off-the-shelf visualization software to a real-world scientific problem is identified

A technique is presented for plotting large multivariate data sets that involves the mapping of n independent variable dimensions on to a single hierarchical horizontal axis with a single dependent variable being plotted on the vertical axis. The emphasis is on visual statistical analysis of either discrete variables or continuous variables that have been sampled on, or binned to, a regular n-dimensional lattice. The general applicability of the technique is discussed, and ways are explored of representing the hierarchical data-driven symbols that are particularly well suited to a variety of visual analysis tasks.

VISUAL 3, a highly interactive environment for the visualization of 3D volumetric scientific data, is described. The volume can be broken up in a structured or unstructured manner, and the problem can be static or unsteady in time. Because the data are volumetric and all the information can be changing, traditional CAD techniques are not appropriate. Therefore, VISUAL3 was developed using intermediate mode-rendering methods. A unique aspect of VISUAL3 is the dimensional windowing approach coupled with cursor mapping, which allows efficient pointing in 3D space. VISUAL3 is composed of a large number of visualization tools that can be generally classified into identification, scanning, and probing techniques

A method of visualizing equations in their explicit form using 3D fields is described. Equations are written algebraically, interpreted by an equation parser, and then expressed as scalar fields. Fields are represented as isosurfaces, making use of an algorithm similar to the method of marching cubes. The implementation allows the real-time interaction of equation parameters, isosurface rotations, and coloring. A variety of applications from mathematics and physics are given, together with examples of construction of data probes using equations

Different standard rendering methods applied to 4-D medical ultrasound data are discussed. In particular, maximum value projection, sum of values projection, transparent gray level gradient shading, and surface shading have been tested. Due to the fact that ultrasound data suffer from a low signal to noise ratio, image processing and image analysis are used to enhance and classify the volumetric data set

A method is presented for juxtaposing 4D space-time vector fields, of which one contains a source variable and the other the response field. Thresholding, ellipsoid fitting, and vortex line generation are used to reduce the amount of information and help analyze the relationship between two 3D vector variables evolving in time. The technique helps to highlight the topological relationship between the two in an effort to understand the causal connection. These concepts are applied to on-going research in evolving fluid dynamics problems

Chemical reactions occurring within complex domains, such as fractals, can display behavior which differs radically from the expectation of classical chemical kinetics. Rather than relaxing to a uniform distribution at the steady state, these nonclassical systems display large-scale order on many scales. Such self-organization is difficult to measure using the usual statistical techniques, but is visually apparent. The authors discuss some of the problems of visualizing chemical kinetics in fractal domains and describe evolution of the visualization as the chemist and visualization scientist collaborated

The McClellan Air Force Base Installation Restoration Program (IRP), which is responsible for identifying and remedying environmental contamination from past operation and disposal practices, is considered. Since 1979, the IRP has generated over 200 volumes of technical reports regarding the degree and extent of contamination at the base. The base is in the process of automating the storage, retrieval, and analysis of the technical data generated by the cleanup program. The requirements for the IRP technical information system are discussed, the development approach taken is presented, visualization results from the system prototype are illustrated, and future plans for development of the system are outlined

Techniques for visualizing mathematical objects in four-dimensional (4D) space that exploit four-dimensional lighting effects are explored. The geometry of image production, stereography, and shadows in 4D is analyzed. Alternatives for smooth and specular shaded rendering of curves, surfaces, and solids in 4D are examined and a new approach that systematically converts curves or surfaces into uniquely renderable solids in 4D space by attaching spheres or circles to each point is proposed. Analogs of 3D shading methods are used to produce volume renderings that distinguish objects whose 3D projections from 4D are identical. Analyzing the procedures needed to justify and evaluate a system as this for teaching humans to `see' in four dimensions leads to the proposal of a generally applicable four-step visualization paradigm

A survey of 2D and 3D flow visualization techniques is provided. The approach is based on applying volume rendering to flow-visualization data. Linear interpolation and B-spline approximation are used, and several views are given for both. Suggestions for efficient volume rendering are provided

This paper examines the role of experimental design, data acquisition equipment, and system integration in the holistic solution picture. Issues include data formats, distributed computing environments, and the need for truly interactive, even real-time systems. A major theme is reaching beyond volume visualization to `volume comprehension' through volume segmentation, mensuration, and geometry extraction

Experimental investigations into the application of intelligent robot control technology to the problem of removing waste stored in tanks is discussed. The authors describe the experimental environment used, with particular attention to the hardware and software control environment and the graphical interface. Intelligent system control is achieved through the integration of extensive geometric and kinematic world models with real-time sensor-based control. All operator interactions with the system are through fully animated graphical representations which validate all operator commands before execution to provide for safe operation. Sensing is used to add information to the robot system's world model and to allow sensor-based servo control during selected operations. The results of an initial critical features test are reported, and the potential to apply advanced intelligent control concepts to the removal of waste in storage tanks is discussed

It is shown that by a simple (one-way) mapping from quaternions to complex numbers, the problem of generating a four-dimensional Mandelbrot set by iteration of a quadratic function in quaternions can be reduced to iteration of the same function in the complex domain, and thus, the function values in 4-D can be obtained by a simple table lookup. The computations are cut down by an order. Simple ways of displaying the fractal without shading and ways of fast ray tracing such a fractal using the table so generated are discussed. Further speedup in ray tracing can be achieved by estimates of a distance of a point from the Mandelbrot set. Animation is a key factor in visualizing 4-D objects. Three types of animation are attempted: translation in 4-D, rotation in 4-D, and fly-through in 3-D