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Team Background

Introduction

Scientific Visualization is a key component of the ARL DoD Supercomputing Resource Center (DSRC). Along with high performance computers, advanced networking, and staff infrastructure, scientific visualization provides a methodology to explore, define, and present the results of computations from HPC systems. The Aberdeen Visualization Center houses numerous Linux-based visualization clusters to support client-server based applications that researchers run from their desktop workstations. The ARL DSRC Outreach Team supports the Visualization Team by providing a fully-functional video production/multimedia facility. Additionally, the team supports a number of display technologies, including a RAVE-II system at APG, the Collaboratorium at the Adelphi Laboratory Center, and advanced research initiatives in "Area 321".

History

On June 18, 1991, the Scientific Visualization Team was formally created within the Army Research Laboratory, High Performance Computing Division. Today, the full-time visualization staff includes members from both ARL/CISD/HPCD Computing Science & Engineering Branch (CSEB) and Raytheon Systems through the High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP).

This group is tasked to:

• Develop new techniques for exploiting high-performance computing technology
  • Code-Coupling
• Promote the use of scientific visualization within ARL and the DoD
• Provide stable, production quality computational environments
  • Both software installation/implementation and hardware resources
• Make visualization technology available to ARL and DoD researchers
  • For both data analysis and data assessment
• Work with ARL DSRC Outreach Team to prepare video presentations in support of DoD projects

To this end, the SciVis Team is involved in many activities that support both ARL and the ARL DSRC:

• Maintaining visualization facilities for collaboration (Unclassified and Classified)
• Exploring software and hardware technology related to visualization.
  • Displays and Projection - Powerwalls, RAVE, etc
  • Sound - 3D Sonification and Infrasound
  • Augmented Reality
  • Optical Tracking
• Consulting with and educating users about the available technology
• Serving as a focal point to compile visualization work for use in promoting the DoD

Working in conjunction with researchers within ARL, other DOD facilities, national laboratories, and commercial partners, the Scientific Visualization Team has accomplished works in virtually all of the major Computational Technology Areas (CTAs). The team has numerous initiatives that extend the boundaries of visualization to include the exploitation of HPC resources and technology, both locally developed and supported through SBIR technology programs. This technology will provide DoD users with more realistic interaction with computer simulations, advancing the technology of real-time graphics generation and state-of-the-art video display technology.

What is scientific visualization?

Scientific visualization is an evolving technology that allows scientists to understand and interpret the meaning of large, transient datasets in a visual form. Through the use of multi-dimensional, animated depictions of their data, researchers are able to extrude previously unobservable information. Most frequently, visualization are a result of gridded numerical computations, but non-geometric calculations and experimental data can also produce these animations. Sharing these results through small group shared virtual experiences, or by presentations to a larger audience provide motivation for the development of a variety of display technologies, including research initiatives in a variety of hardware and software technologies.

Scientific visualization serves two purposes: first, to help scientists and engineers solve problems and, second, to explain and promote a particular science to a wide audience. The graphics used in these two cases often differ. Scientists and engineers require detailed examination of the data, the results of which may not be intuitively obvious to a general audience. Results that are presented to a general audience must be easily understood and interpreted.

Scientific visualization provides technical innovations that present data in unique and nontraditional ways. Through these new techniques, more visual information is made available to the researcher, improving comprehension and providing new insight to the problem

How does one contact the visualization team?

If you have a project for which you would like to explore the possibility of visualization, or are seeking advice on graphics or video hardware and software, send email to vis@arl.army.mil.

A call for participation

Clearly we are not the only people in the ARL or DoD engaged in visualization and graphics work. Other groups have independently produced very fine work. We would like to encourage such individuals to share their work with us. We are regularly called upon to supply videos for high level briefings on ARL and DoD computational work. Submissions for this compilation, and/or for external presentations are welcome

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