A Collaborative framework is not complete without sophisticated
visualization tools that promote not only the sharing of data, but also of
experiences. Much of the data generated at the VLab will be
three-dimensional and time-dependent. "Data" is defined on Cartesian
meshes at approximate resolutions of 1503 and ~ 100 sequential datasets
for large-scale computations. Important datasets will include scalar
fields (charge densities, "local" single-particle potentials V(r), Fermi
surfaces, i.e., iso-surfaces of E(k), vector fields (electron velocity at
the Fermi level), tensor fields (Hessian of E(k) or the inverse effective
mass tensor of electrons at the Fermi level), etc.
Another aspect of visualization is the extraction of useful information
from very large simulations, like those to be performed with inter-atomic
potentials or by first principles in silicate liquids. The user must be
able to visualize the dynamics of the constituent atoms with an option for
displaying various attributes produced during the simulation. Prof. Karki
has been developing immersive and interactive graphical user interfaces
(GUI) with real time visualization response to enhance the understanding
of massive multivariate simulation datasets. These tools, useful in first
principles studies of materials in general, will be further exploited and
developed at the VLab.
While mainstream algorithms already exist for these various data types,
very few tools promote sharing visualization interactions between
distributed users. Leading efforts in this area appear to be in the
computer gaming industry and in the military, where hundreds of users can
share a common virtual environment and interact with each other in real
time. Very little, if any, of this technology has been applied in the
sciences. A prototype collaborative visualization system has been
demonstrated using the Access Grid. However, the Access Grid is a complex
system that does not permit spontaneous interactions between researchers.
We propose to leverage NB to enable multi-way visualization steering
between multiple users with access to heterogeneous hardware platforms and
different visualization systems. (Erlebacher, Yuen, Karki, and
Kleese-Van-Dam)
