GRAPP & IVAPP 2012: Proceedings of the International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Applications and International Conference on Information Visualization Theory and Applications

This book contains the proceedings of the International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Applications (GRAPP 2012) and of the International Conference on Information Visualization Theory and Applications (IVAPP 2011) which were organized and sponsored by the Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC). We hope that the proceedings here published, demonstrate new and innovative solutions, and highlight technical problems in each field that are challenging and worthwhile. Thus, GRAPP and IVAPP were organized to promote a discussion forum between researchers, developers, manufactures and end-users, about the conferences research topics and to establish guidelines in the developing of more advanced solutions. We received a high number of paper submissions for this edition of GRAPP, 116 in total, with contributions from all five continents which attest to the success and global dimension of GRAPP. To evaluate each submission, we used a double-blind evaluation method and each paper was reviewed by at least two experts from the International Program Committee. In the end, 20 papers were selected for publication as full papers, 35 papers were accepted for short presentation and 23 were accepted for poster presentation. The result was an oral-paper acceptance ratio of 47% and a high-quality program that is attractive to experts from Computer Graphics area. A high number of paper submissions for this edition of IVAPP was also received, 66 in total, with contributions from all five continents which attest to the success and global dimension of IVAPP. 12 papers were selected for publication as full papers, 7 papers were accepted for short presentation and 15 were accepted for poster presentation. The result was an oral-paper acceptance ratio of 29% and a high-quality program that is attractive to experts from Information Visualization area. We hope that these Conference Proceedings, submitted for indexation by Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index, INSPEC, DBLP and EI, may help the Computer Graphics community to find interesting research work. Furthermore, a short list of presented papers will be selected to be expanded into a forthcoming book of VISIGRAPP Selected Papers to be published by Springer during 2012. Moreover, the conference also featured a number of keynote lectures delivered by internationally well known experts thus contributing to increase the overall quality of the conference and to provide a deeper understanding of the conference interest fields. In order to promote the development of professional networks the organizing committee has prepared a Conference Dinner in the evening of February 25th. We hope that you enjoy this exciting conference and have an unforgettable stay in the beautiful city of Rome, Italy. Finally, we would like to express our thanks, first of all, to the authors of the technical papers, whose work and dedication make possible to put together a program that we believe very exciting and of high technical quality. Next, we would like to thank all the members of the program committee and auxiliary reviewers, who helped us with their expertise and time. We would also like to thank the invited speakers for their invaluable contribution and for sharing their vision in their talks. Special thanks should be addressed to the INSTICC Steering Committee whose invaluable work made possible this event. We wish you all an exciting conference and an unforgettable stay in Rome, Italy. We hope to meet you again for the next edition of GRAPP and IVAPP, details of which will be shortly available at http://www.grapp.visigrapp.org and http://www.ivapp.visigrapp.org

Theory and Application of Dissociative Electron Capture in Molecular Identification

The coupling of an electron monochromator (EM) to a mass spectrometer (MS) has created a new analytical technique, EM-MS, for the investigation of electrophilic compounds. This method provides a powerful tool for molecular identification of compounds contained in complex matrices, such as environmental samples. EM-MS expands the application and selectivity of traditional MS through the inclusion of a new dimension in the space of molecular characteristics--the electron resonance energy spectrum. However, before this tool can realize its full potential, it will be necessary to create a library of resonance energy scans from standards of the molecules for which EM-MS offers a practical means of detection. Here, an approach supplementing direct measurement with chemical inference and quantum scattering theory is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of directly calculating resonance energy spectra. This approach makes use of the symmetry of the transition-matrix element of the captured electron to discriminate between the spectra of isomers. As a way of validating this approach, the resonance values for twenty-five nitrated aromatic compounds were measured along with their relative abundance. Subsequently, the spectra for the isomers of nitrotoluene were shown to be consistent with the symmetry-based model. The initial success of this treatment suggests that it might be possible to predict negative ion resonances and thus create a library of EM-MS standards.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure

Joint Contour Net Analysis for Feature Detection in Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics Data

In this paper we demonstrate the use of multivariate topological algorithms to analyse and interpret Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) data. Lattice QCD is a long established field of theoretical physics research in the pursuit of understanding the strong nuclear force. Complex computer simulations model interactions between quarks and gluons to test theories regarding the behaviour of matter in a range of extreme environments. Data sets are typically generated using Monte Carlo methods, providing an ensemble of configurations, from which observable averages must be computed. This presents issues with regard to visualisation and analysis of the data as a typical ensemble study can generate hundreds or thousands of unique configurations. We show how multivariate topological methods, such as the Joint Contour Net, can assist physicists in the detection and tracking of important features within their data in a temporal setting. This enables them to focus upon the structure and distribution of the core observables by identifying them within the surrounding data. These techniques also demonstrate how quantitative approaches can help understand the lifetime of objects in a dynamic system.Comment: 30 pages, 19 figures, 4 table

RAMPVIS: Answering the challenges of building visualisation capabilities for large-scale emergency responses

The effort for combating the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has resulted in a huge amount of data, e.g., from testing, contact tracing, modelling, treatment, vaccine trials, and more. In addition to numerous challenges in epidemiology, healthcare, biosciences, and social sciences, there has been an urgent need to develop and provide visualisation and visual analytics (VIS) capacities to support emergency responses under difficult operational conditions. In this paper, we report the experience of a group of VIS volunteers who have been working in a large research and development consortium and providing VIS support to various observational, analytical, model-developmental, and disseminative tasks. In particular, we describe our approaches to the challenges that we have encountered in requirements analysis, data acquisition, visual design, software design, system development, team organisation, and resource planning. By reflecting on our experience, we propose a set of recommendations as the first step towards a methodology for developing and providing rapid VIS capacities to support emergency responses

RAMPVIS: Answering the Challenges of Building Visualisation Capabilities for Large-scale Emergency Responses

The effort for combating the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has resulted in a huge amount of data, e.g., from testing, contact tracing, modelling, treatment, vaccine trials, and more. In addition to numerous challenges in epidemiology, healthcare, biosciences, and social sciences, there has been an urgent need to develop and provide visualisation and visual analytics (VIS) capacities to support emergency responses under difficult operational conditions. In this paper, we report the experience of a group of VIS volunteers who have been working in a large research and development consortium and providing VIS support to various observational, analytical, model-developmental, and disseminative tasks. In particular, we describe our approaches to the challenges that we have encountered in requirements analysis, data acquisition, visual design, software design, system development, team organisation, and resource planning. By reflecting on our experience, we propose a set of recommendations as the first step towards a methodology for developing and providing rapid VIS capacities to support emergency responses

Visualization for epidemiological modelling: challenges, solutions, reflections and recommendations.

From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2022-08-15, ppub 2022-10-01Publication status: PublishedFunder: UK Research and Innovation; Grant(s): ST/V006126/1, EP/V054236/1, EP/V033670/1We report on an ongoing collaboration between epidemiological modellers and visualization researchers by documenting and reflecting upon knowledge constructs-a series of ideas, approaches and methods taken from existing visualization research and practice-deployed and developed to support modelling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Structured independent commentary on these efforts is synthesized through iterative reflection to develop: evidence of the effectiveness and value of visualization in this context; open problems upon which the research communities may focus; guidance for future activity of this type and recommendations to safeguard the achievements and promote, advance, secure and prepare for future collaborations of this kind. In describing and comparing a series of related projects that were undertaken in unprecedented conditions, our hope is that this unique report, and its rich interactive supplementary materials, will guide the scientific community in embracing visualization in its observation, analysis and modelling of data as well as in disseminating findings. Equally we hope to encourage the visualization community to engage with impactful science in addressing its emerging data challenges. If we are successful, this showcase of activity may stimulate mutually beneficial engagement between communities with complementary expertise to address problems of significance in epidemiology and beyond. See https://ramp-vis.github.io/RAMPVIS-PhilTransA-Supplement/. This article is part of the theme issue 'Technical challenges of modelling real-life epidemics and examples of overcoming these'