Visualization and Animation of a Missile/Target Encounter

Existing missile/target encounter modeling and simulation systems focus on improving probability of kill models. Little research has been done to visualize these encounters. These systems can be made more useful to the engineers by incorporating current computer graphics technology for visualizing and animating the encounter. Our research has been to develop a graphical simulation package for visualizing both endgame and full fly-out encounters. Endgame visualization includes showing the interaction of a missile, its fuze cone proximity sensors, and its target during the final fraction of a second of the missile/target encounter. Additionally, this system displays dynamic effects such as the warhead fragmentation pattern and the specific skewing of the fragment scattering due to missile yaw at the point of detonation. Fly-out visualization, on the other hand, involves full animation of a missile from launch to target. Animating the results of VisSim fly-out simulations provides the engineer a more efficient means of analyzing his data. This research also involves investigating fly-out animation via the World Wide Web

A review of data visualization: opportunities in manufacturing sequence management.

Data visualization now benefits from developments in technologies that offer innovative ways of presenting complex data. Potentially these have widespread application in communicating the complex information domains typical of manufacturing sequence management environments for global enterprises. In this paper the authors review the visualization functionalities, techniques and applications reported in literature, map these to manufacturing sequence information presentation requirements and identify the opportunities available and likely development paths. Current leading-edge practice in dynamic updating and communication with suppliers is not being exploited in manufacturing sequence management; it could provide significant benefits to manufacturing business. In the context of global manufacturing operations and broad-based user communities with differing needs served by common data sets, tool functionality is generally ahead of user application

A distributed analysis and visualization system for model and observational data

Software was developed with NASA support to aid in the analysis and display of the massive amounts of data generated from satellites, observational field programs, and from model simulations. This software was developed in the context of the PATHFINDER (Probing ATmospHeric Flows in an Interactive and Distributed EnviRonment) Project. The overall aim of this project is to create a flexible, modular, and distributed environment for data handling, modeling simulations, data analysis, and visualization of atmospheric and fluid flows. Software completed with NASA support includes GEMPAK analysis, data handling, and display modules for which collaborators at NASA had primary responsibility, and prototype software modules for three-dimensional interactive and distributed control and display as well as data handling, for which NSCA was responsible. Overall process control was handled through a scientific and visualization application builder from Silicon Graphics known as the Iris Explorer. In addition, the GEMPAK related work (GEMVIS) was also ported to the Advanced Visualization System (AVS) application builder. Many modules were developed to enhance those already available in Iris Explorer including HDF file support, improved visualization and display, simple lattice math, and the handling of metadata through development of a new grid datatype. Complete source and runtime binaries along with on-line documentation is available via the World Wide Web at: http://redrock.ncsa.uiuc.edu/ PATHFINDER/pathre12/top/top.html

Publishing Time Dependent Oceanographic Visualizations using VRML

Oceanographic simulations generate time dependent data; thus, visualizations of this data should include and realize the variable `time'. Moreover, the oceanographers are located across the world and they wish to conveniently communicate and exchange these temporal realizations. This publication of material may be achieved using different methods and languages. VRML provides one convenient publication medium that allows the visualizations to be easily viewed and exchanged between users. Using VRML as the implementation language, we describe five categories of operation. The strategies are determined by the level of calculation that is achieved at the generation stage compared to the playing of the animation. We name the methods: 2D movie, 3D spatial, 3D flipbook, key frame deformation and visualization program

Do you see what I mean?

Visualizers, like logicians, have long been concerned with meaning. Generalizing from MacEachren's overview of cartography, visualizers have to think about how people extract meaning from pictures (psychophysics), what people understand from a picture (cognition), how pictures are imbued with meaning (semiotics), and how in some cases that meaning arises within a social and/or cultural context. If we think of the communication acts carried out in the visualization process further levels of meaning are suggested. Visualization begins when someone has data that they wish to explore and interpret; the data are encoded as input to a visualization system, which may in its turn interact with other systems to produce a representation. This is communicated back to the user(s), who have to assess this against their goals and knowledge, possibly leading to further cycles of activity. Each phase of this process involves communication between two parties. For this to succeed, those parties must share a common language with an agreed meaning. We offer the following three steps, in increasing order of formality: terminology (jargon), taxonomy (vocabulary), and ontology. Our argument in this article is that it's time to begin synthesizing the fragments and views into a level 3 model, an ontology of visualization. We also address why this should happen, what is already in place, how such an ontology might be constructed, and why now

Reviews

Judith Jeffcoate, Multimedia in Practice ‐Technology and Applications, BCS Practitioner Series, Prentice‐Hall International, 1995. ISBN: 0–13–123324–6. £24.95

Poseidon Linux 3.x - The scientific GNU/Linux option

This software review is about the newest version of Poseidon Linux (3.x). The current Poseidon Linux is a remastering from Ubuntu LTS family (Long Term Support), with extra specific software applicable to many areas of scientific research and education. It contains specialist software for GIS/Mapping, bathymetry, numerical modeling, 2D/3D/4D visualization, bioinformatics, chemistry, statistics, as well as tools for creating simple and complex graphics and programming languages. It also includes basic packages as would be expected on a normal desktop, such as a complete office suite, internet browser, e-mail client, instant messaging, chat, multimedia and many other tools. Poseidon Linux can run in two modes, as a live-DVD or installed on the hard disk. There are versions for 32 and 64 bit computers, and support for Brazilian Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, Greek, Italian and German languages. Resumo. Poseidon Linux 3.x – A opção científica GNU/Linux. Esta resenha trata da nova versão do software Poseidon Linux (3.x). A versão atual é uma remasterização a partir do sistema operacional Ubuntu, família LTS (Suporte de Longo Prazo), com pacotes extras para várias áreas da ciência e educação. Contém programas específicos para SIG/mapeamento, batimetria, modelagem numérica, visualização 2D/3D/4D, bioinformática, química, estatística, bem como ferramentas para elaboração de gráficos simples e complexos e linguagem de programação. Inclui também os programas necessários encontrados num sistema operacional desktop, tais como suporte completo para escritório, navegador de internet, programas para envio e recebimento de mensagens instantâneas, multimídia e várias outras ferramentas. O Poseidon Linux pode ser utilizado de duas formas: diretamente do DVD, sem instalá-lo, ou instalando-o no disco rígido do computador. É apresentado nas versões 32 e 64 bits e pode ser totalmente configurado em Português do Brasil, Inglês, Espanhol, Francês, Grego, Italiano e Alemão