WEB-IS (integrated system): an overall view

WEB-IS, Web-based Integrated System, allows remote, interactive visualization of large-scale 3-D data over the Internet, along with data analysis and data mining. In this paper, we discuss the overall structure of WEB-IS. Up until now we have developed three sub-modules geared towards geophysical problems. WEB-IS1 allows geoscientists to navigate through their 3-D geophysical data, such as seismic structures or numerical simulations, and interactively analyze the statistics or apply data-mining techniques, such as cluster analysis. WEB-IS2 lets a user control Amira (a powerful 3-D visualization package) remotely and analyze, render and view large datasets across the Internet. WEB-IS3 is an imaging service that enables the user to control the scale of features to view through interactive zooming. In the near future, we propose to integrate the three components together through a middleware framework called NaradaBrokering (iNtegrated Asynchronous Real-time Adaptive Distributed Architecture, a distributed messaging infrastructure that can be used to intelligently route data between the originators and registered consumers) without regard for time or location. As a result, WEB-IS will improve its scalability and acquire properties of fault-tolerance. WEB-IS uses a combination of Java, C++, and through the use of NaradaBrokering will seamlessly integrate the server-side processing and user interaction utilities on the client. The server takes care of the processor intensive tasks, such as visualization and data mining, and sends either the resulting bitmap image or statistical results to the middleware across the Internet for viewing. WEB-IS is an easy-to-use service, which will eventually help geoscientists collaborate from different sites in a natural manner. It will be very useful in the next 10 years because of the increasing number of space missions and geophysical campaigns.     

Clustering and visualization of earthquake data in a grid environment

We present a web client-server service WEB-IS, which we have developed for remote analysis and visualization of seismic data consisting of both small magnitude events and large earthquakes. We show that the problem-solving environment (PSE) intended for prediction of large magnitude earthquakes can be based on this WEB-IS idea. The clustering schemes, feature generation, feature extraction techniques and rendering algorithms form a computational framework of this environment. On the other hand, easy and fast access both to the seismic data distributed among distant computing resources and to computational and visualization resources can be realized in a GRID framework. We discuss the usefulness of NaradaBrokering (iNtegrated Asynchronous Real-time Adaptive Distributed Architecture) as a middleware, allowing for flexibility and high throughput for remote visualization of geophysical data. The WEB-IS functionality was tested both on synthetic and the actual earthquake catalogs. We consider the application of similar methodology for tsunami alerts.     

虚拟流域环境中河道演变的整体自动 建模及可视化分析

将三维虚拟仿真技术和科学计算可视化技术相结合应用于河道泥沙冲淤分布规律分析中,提出了基于虚拟现实技术的泥沙冲淤过程三维可视化技术框架并构建了相应系统。提出并研究了河道边界自动识别、河道演变过程数据模型的自适应生成、动态河道与大范围场景的无缝嵌套建模、多层细节层次与无缝拼接、时空过程可视化与控制显示模式、动态河道的交互、基于局部插值的断面提取等系统中使用的关键技术。以三峡坝区河道为例,研发了三峡坝区河道演变时空过程可视化表达系统,证明了提出方法的实用性和可行性。     

Multi-scale European Soil Information System (MEUSIS): a multi-scale method to derive soil indicators

The Multi-scale Soil Information System (MEUSIS) can be a suitable framework for building a nested system of soil data that could facilitate interoperability through a common coordinate reference system, a unique grid coding database, a set of detailed and standardized metadata, and an open exchangeable format. In the context of INSPIRE Directive, MEUSIS may be implemented as a system facilitating the update of existing soil information and accelerating the harmonization of various soil information systems. In environmental data like the soil one, it is common to generalize accurate data obtained at the field to coarser scales using either the pedotransfer rules or knowledge of experts or even some statistical solutions which combine single values of spatially distributed data. The most common statistical process for generalization is averaging the values within the study area. In this paper, we do not present a simple averaging of numerical values without any further processed information. The upscaling process is accompanied with significant statistical analysis in order to demonstrate the method suitability. The coarser resolution nested grids cells (10??? 10?km) represent broad regions where the calculated soil property (e.g., organic carbon) can be accurately upscaled. Multi-scaled approaches are urgently required to integrate different disciplines (such as Statistics) and provide a meta-model platform to improve current mechanistic modeling frameworks, request new collected data, and identify critical research questions. Past papers have described in detail the upscaling methodology while our present approach is to demonstrate an important application of this methodology accompanied with statistical evidence.     

A scalable cyberinfrastructure solution to support big data management and multivariate visualization of time-series sensor observation data

This paper reports our research in developing a cyberinfrastructure platform to support multivariate visualization of data collected from distributed sensor network. Three new techniques were introduced in this platform: (1) a hybrid data caching strategy that takes advantages of a scalable and distributed time series database, OpenTSDB, to realize efficient data retrieval; (2) a hyper-dimensional data cube is established to map and translate multivariate and heterogeneous sensor data into a common data structure to support location-aware visual analysis; and (3) a data-driven visualization module is implemented to support interactive and dynamic visualization on a simulated virtual globe. A series of experiments were conducted to demonstrate the good runtime performance of the proposed system. We expect this work to make a major contribution to both the visualization building block development in cyberinfrastructure research and the advancement of visual presentation and analysis of sensor data in domain sciences.     

基于VR技术的多尺度地质数据3D沉浸式可视化与交互方法

随着科技的飞速发展,地质大数据正在呈爆炸式增长,地质大数据可视化与交互方法成为研究的新方向。如何通过可视化方法将巨大的、复杂的、潜逻辑的地质数据展现与交互是需要进一步探索的。本文提出基于VR技术的多尺度地质数据3D沉浸式可视化与交互方法,该方法既符合计算思维又符合地质专业理论。首先,从理论上提出多尺度地质数据可视化理论模型;其次,基于VR技术实现多尺度、多分辨率地质数据的可视化;最后,构建了3D沉浸式虚拟现实平台,采用实际数据验证方法的有效性。该方法适用于地质数据的可视化与交互,为科学的定量评价、分析和教学提供新思路,是未来的必然发展趋势。     

TerCharts: a VBA–MS Excel multiternary and multipurpose charting utility for data analysis,presentation, and modeling in environmental and earth sciences

TerCharts is a comprehensive, fast, flexible, and versatile ternary charting utility that can be used for ternary data presentation analysis and modeling across many scientific disciplines. TerCharts is developed using Microsoft (MS) Excel 2003 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) which is an object oriented programming language developed by MS as a tool to enhance the capabilities of MS products. The Excel–VBA interface is important because normally chemical, geochemical, and mineralogical data used in teaching and basic research are processed using Excel spreadsheets, making TerCharts a more convenient tool for generating ternary charts which in turn can be used for data presentation and analysis. Ternary charts generated by this utility can be improved, edited, and modified utilizing MS Excel’s powerful charting and editing techniques.     

Current Trends and Demands in Visualization in the Geosciences

Geosciences, along with many other disciplines in science and engineering, faces an exponential increase in the amount of data generated from observation, experiment and large-scale, high-resolution 3-D numerical simulations. In this communication we describe the fundamentals of visualization necessary to meet these challenges. We present several alternative methodologies such as 2D/3D feature extraction, segmentation methods, and flow topology, to help better understand the physical structure of the data. We use AMIRA from TGS to demonstrate our concepts. Examples are drawn from fields in computational fluid dynamics, 3-D mantle convection and seismic tomography. Finally, we present our perspective on the future of visualization.     

大洋海底数据可视化和成图设计与分析

随着全球大洋调查的不断开展以及各种海底探测技术的进步,海洋调查数据积累日益增多。以往主要通过使用不同的专业软件来进行各类大洋数据的可视化和成图分析。在海洋调查方面目前迫切需要一种可视化软件,能够快速显示海底大洋的观测和探测数据,并能够快速简单地综合分析和成图。为了解决快速可视化和多种类型数据同界面显示问题,本文利用Matlab中的图形用户界面工具,开发和设计了简单易操作的OceanVis1.0数据可视化和图形用户界面。通过使用OceanVis1.0,用户可以方便地对全球海底大洋多波束水深、海洋重力异常、海洋磁异常、地震波形数据等进行可视化和成图分析,能够解决大洋关键区域的多种数据可视化综合分析问题。对不同类型的数据可以进行二维测线和三维空间数据变化的显示,也可以实现数据成图的放大、缩小和旋转功能。对于多波束、重磁数据空间变化数据,可以进行二维测线的任意切割和成图输出,不用保留中间成图即可满足用户的实时数据显示和快速查看功能。OceanVis1.0也能为具体航次的海底调查提供各类海底探测数据的快速显示,以及包括航次中获取的数据显示和初步分析功能,能够为研究区航次测线的规划提供数据可视化和图形支撑平台。     

TESSIN VISLab—laboratory for scientific visualization

Scientific visualization is an integral part of the modeling workflow, enabling researchers to understand complex or large data sets and simulation results. A high-resolution stereoscopic virtual reality (VR) environment further enhances the possibilities of visualization. Such an environment also allows collaboration in work groups including people of different backgrounds and to present results of research projects to stakeholders or the public. The requirements for the computing equipment driving the VR environment demand specialized software applications which can be run in a parallel fashion on a set of interconnected machines. Another challenge is to devise a useful data workflow from source data sets onto the display system. Therefore, we develop software applications like the OpenGeoSys Data Explorer, custom data conversion tools for established visualization packages such as ParaView and Visualization Toolkit as well as presentation and interaction techniques for 3D applications like Unity. We demonstrate our workflow by presenting visualization results for case studies from a broad range of applications. An outlook on how visualization techniques can be deeply integrated into the simulation process is given and future technical improvements such as a simplified hardware setup are outlined.     

Visualizing the temporal development of thermo-radiative features on ground-based thermographs

In urban microclimate research, ground-based thermography is used to gain insight into the spatial distribution of surface temperatures of various materials. Taking snapshots over a certain time span helps experts to observe the temporal thermo-radiative behavior of the monitored surface elements and therefore supports decisions on possible optimizations, e.g., improving the thermal comfort in a neighborhood. Appropriate visualization techniques facilitate decision-making and are thus crucial in the optimization process. In this study, we present a tool that eases the extraction of thermo-radiative features from multi-temporal thermographs taken from a monitored scene. Assisted by our tool, users can identify, choose, and register thermo-radiative features for each time step according to their individual research needs. The features’ temporal development is then visualized using a directed graph that encodes topological events as well as each feature’s size and summarizing statistics. To enhance this summary, a comprehensive animated sequence emphasizes the spatiotemporal behavior of the most significant thermo-radiative features. Salient developments are visually embedded and highlighted in the original infrared images, which are blended in an animation from time step to time step. Since we enable the user to interact with the data in a flexible way, noisy and low resolution image data sets can also be processed.     

Interdisciplinary and participatory approaches: the key to effective groundwater management

The challenges of a changing world, which are progressively threatening sustainable use of groundwater resources, can only be rationally and effectively addressed through close collaboration between experts and practitioners from different disciplines. Furthermore, science and management need to build on stakeholder opinions and processes in order to generate useful knowledge and positive outcomes in terms of sustainable and equitable groundwater management. This essay provides a discussion of the status of and vision for participatory and inter-disciplinary approaches to groundwater evaluation and management as well as a conceptual framework and relevant research questions that will facilitate such approaches.     

中国陆地生态系统碳收支集成研究的e-Science系统构建

全球/区域生态系统碳循环研究具有多台站联网观测、多源异构数据、多模型综合分析、跨领域科学家协同工作等特点。以中国陆地生态系统通量观测研究网络(ChinaFLUX)为基础平台,论述建立碳循环科研信息化环境(e-Carbon Science)的迫切性,系统阐述e-Carbon Science的目标、组成、关键技术及研究进展,构建了由"四环境(碳循环数据集成与服务环境、模型模拟环境、可视化分析环境、科研协同工作环境)、三系统(站点、区域、全国尺度陆地生态系统碳收支评估应用系统)"组成的ChinaFLUX e-Carbon Science,形成ChinaFLUX通量数据采集—传输—存储—管理—处理—可视化—共享服务的一体化系统,实现不同尺度的碳收支快速评估与模拟,支撑并促进我国陆地生态系统碳循环研究和生态信息学发展,对我国野外台站网络信息化起到引领和示范作用。     

三维数字盆地构造-地层格架模拟技术

三维数字盆地构造-地层格架的生成、显示、矢量剪切和空间查询是实现盆地分析信息化和可视化的关键技术.根据几何学和机械变形原理,在具有自主知识产权的GeoView三维可视化地学信息系统平台上,研发出了通过二维地震解释剖面图、构造平面图、沉积相平面图和钻井柱状图生成真三维盆地构造-地层格架的计算机模拟和可视化技术,以及建立三维数字盆地的空间信息系统技术.这些技术作为三维盆地模拟、油气系统模拟、断层封堵性分析、精细油藏描述、水平井可视化设计和剩余油分布分析等软件的开发基础,已经在一系列科技攻关项目和工程项目中得到成功的应用.     

Ubiquitous interactive visualization of 3D mantle convection using a web-portal with Java and Ajax framework

We have developed a new strategy and espouse a novel paradigm for large-scale computing and real-time interactive visualization. This philosophy calls for intense interactive sessions for a couple of hours at a time at the expense of storing data on many disk drives during regular or heroic runs on massively parallel systems. We have already carried out successfully real-time volume-rendering visualization by employing hundreds of processors for a grid with over 25 million unknowns. Both Cartesian and spherical 3D mantle convection are visualized. The volume-rendered images are viewed on a large display device, with many panels holding around 13 million pixels. We will employ a software strategy involving an hierarchical rendering service, which will have as software an Ajax interface for interactive visualization of large data sets on many different platforms from desktop PC’s to hand-held devices, such as the OQO and the Nokia N-800. An option for stereo viewing is also implemented. We have installed a user interface as web application, using Java and Ajax framework in order to achieve over the Internet reasonable accessibility to our ongoing runs. Our goal is to expand the array of interactive devices, which will make it feasible to carry out ubiquitous visualization and monitoring of large-scale simulations or onsite events and to allow for collaborations across oceans.     

三维城市地球物理数据管理与服务系统框架

为实现地球物理数据对城市发展提供数据支持, 以3D GIS作为基础平台, 从数据与信息管理、多方法综合处理与显示、成果的三维可视化表达及信息发布等4个层次阐述了三维城市地球物理数据管理与服务系统框架的构建; 数据与信息管理子系统是整个系统的基础, 提供数据基础.GIS支持下的第2层次作为数据显示和多方法交互综合处理的工具而存在, 并为成果信息表达提供基础.后2个层次实现城市地球物理成果数据的展示功能.第3个层次是对成果数据的三维再现, 而第4个层次则通过Web来发布成果信息.在构建三维城市地球物理数据管理与服务信息系统时, 存在2个方面需要解决的问题: (1) 要实现多期次海量的城市地球物理数据的一体化管理问题.提出了以地球物理勘探点、线作为多方法数据融合的基础, 分层次、专题按要素的方式建立多维数据库, 以达到对数据的统一管理. (2) 成果信息的可视化问题.为了在三维空间中再现成果数据, 将地球物理形式的数据转换成地质形式, 设计了一个以线框模型为基本思想来表达三维地质模型的数据模型.将提出的系统框架结合华北某地区进行了应用, 取得了较好的效果.      

地学G4 I 系统中空间元数据的设计技术

地学G4 I 系统是以四学科( 地质学、地理学、地球化学及地球物理学) 地学数据集成为基础,以中大比例尺矿产资源评价为服务目标的计算机系统。由于跨学科地学空间数据集成涉及到众多技术,其中空间元数据的内容与应用构成本系统的重要组成部分。笔者就元数据的概念及元数据在本系统中的具体内容、作用、标准及研究现状等进行探讨,并针对本系统提出元数据管理子系统的设计框架。     

Remote data analysis, visualization and problem solving environment (PSE) based on wavelets in the geosciences

We discuss here the issues faced by earth scientists in analyzing and visualizing large datasets over a GRID-like setup from a client-server perspective. We approach this problem by using a remote, web-based visualization and data analysis framework, called WEB-IS, and by employing second-generation wavelets as a means for reducing the amount of data transferred and for extracting coherent features in complex geophysical flows and surface faulting patterns. As an example, we describe how onboard processors on satellites can function as a server for beaming down extracted information to the client computer on the ground, thus exemplifying WEB-IS as a viable middleware on a GRID network for geosciences.Reviewed by: Prof. I.D. Clemens, Prof. L. Hanyk     

矿山三维地质建模与可视化研究

矿山三维地质建模与可视化技术研究, 是“数字地球”、“数字矿山”的核心组成部分, 是现代矿山信息化研究的热点和重点。本文介绍和分析了几种常见的空间插值方法和目前比较流行的三维地质构模和可视化技术; 并针对我国矿山开采和工程建设的特点, 提出了矿山三维地质建模和可视化研究的方法和思路, 为我国矿山信息化建设提供一定的理论依据。      

Effects of hypoxic disturbances on an estuarine nekton assemblage across multiple scales

Disturbances influence ecological communities over a wide range of scales. We investigated the effects of localized hypoxic disturbances on an estuarine fish assemblage at several spatial (m² and 10s km²) and temporal (days, seasons, years) scales in a multivariate framework (temperature, salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen). We examined whether seasons, years) scales in a multivariate framework (temperature, salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen). We examined whether there were consistent changes in fish and crustacean estuarine assemblage characteristics along environmental gradients and whether these relationships were altered by hypoxic disturbances. We also investigated at what scale dissolved oxygen concentration may be influencing the structure of motile estuarine assemblages and whether the size of the hypoxic zone altered its effects on the estuarine assemblage. Hypoxic disturbances altered fish and crustacean assemblages along the depth gradients that were present during well-oxygenated periods. Species diversity, richness, and catch rates were lower in hypoxic patches than in oxygenated areas. Dissolved oxygen concentration remained an important explanatory variable for patch-level assemblage dissimilarity, species richness, and diversity when data were aggregated across seasons. When we examined the data at a larger scale, by aggregating information across the study area, we did not detect influences of hypoxia on assemblage structure. Fish moved out of local hypoxic zones, but remained within the estuary even in years with extensive hypoxia. There was no effect of size of the hypoxic distrubance on whether organisms responded to hypoxia or on diversity or richness of the study site. These results suggest that these local disturbances play an important role in structuring motile species assemblages at a patch-level within an estuary, but regional factors such as recruitment and migration are important in influencing species assemblages for the entire estuary over months and years.