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Collaborative Scientific Visualization

© Adam Hughes

As we've discussed over the last few weeks, the growing sophistication in the scientific computing arena has spawned great interest in (and a great need for) viable Problem Solving Environments, or PSE's. As research in the area of PSE's progresses, the associated technologies are also growing rapidly and forging their way into the consciousnesses of computer researchers everywhere. Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of scientific visualization.

During the computer/internet explosion of recent years, scientific visualization has undergone a revolution, right along with many other portions of the scientific computing field. While it was once quite a task to produce meaningful graphs or stick-figure molecular representations to be included in trade journals, it is not at all unusual these days to see full color presentations, replete with realistic models and even real-time animations.

But beyond providing flashy presentation value, scientific visualization is also vital for helping scientists to understand what their results mean. And because science is not done in a vacuum (unless you're in physics lab!), researchers often need convenient ways of sharing their results. This area seems to be where the next big scientific visualization push may be headed.

Generally, a scientist will generate some image based on the results of his research, and then allow others to view it as the need arises. It would, in many cases, however, be beneficial to have multiple researchers involved in interpreting data and generating the appropriate graphics. In practice, this generally degenerates into a situation where one scientist "drives" while the others involved huddle around his workstation while he works. Some newer visualization systems, such as IRIS Explorer and AVS, have been developed to allow programming modules to be pieced together to build the desired output. This allows researchers to develop different pieces of the puzzle simultaneously and then fit them together when everyone is finished. This is a step in the right direction, but it really doesn't address all of the issues that may be pertinent to this dilemma.

In the coming weeks, we'll take a look at how researchers are moving closer to the development of truly collaborative scientific visualization systems.

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