Topics in Visualization: Scientific and Information Visualization

Topics:

Introduction into Visualization, Volume Visualization, Flow Visualization and Information Visualization.

Grading:

The final grade will be computed as a weighted sum of the grade for the lab exercise and the grade for the written exam. The exam will take place at the end of the second block and the grade for the lab exercise makes 20%-50% of the final grade.

Language:

The course will be held in English.

Registration:

Please register at My Space of UiB for the course INF212.

The lecture consists of one block and the second part is organized as a regular schedule.

Block:

Monday 19.2.2007	16:15-18:00	Lecture room 2142
Tuesday 20.2.2007	10:15-12:00	Lecture room 2142
Wednesday 21.2.2007	14:15-16:00	Lecture room 2143
Thursday 22.2.2007	16:15-18:00	Lecture room 2143
Friday 23.2.2007	08:15-10:00	Lecture room 2143

Regular schedule:

Mondays 30.04.2007-14.05.2007	16:15-18:00	Lecture room 2142
Wednesdays 02.05.2007-16.05.2007	14:15-16:00	Lecture room 2143

Written exam:

TBA

TBA

TBA

Lecture units (material relevant for the exam)

Introduction 1 (all slides)

Introduction 2 (all slides)

Volume Visualization 1 (all slides)

Volume Visualization 2 (slides 1-6, slides 25-40)

Volume Visualization 4 (slide 5-31)

Illustrative Visualization 2 (slide 0-13)

Perceptual Issues of Visualization

Flow Visualization 1

Flow Visualization 2

Flow Visualization 3

Information Visualization 1

Information Visualization 2

In the scope of the lab exercise programming examples are to be elaborated. The topic can be chosen from the list below. The grade for the exercise makes 20%-50% of the final grade depending on the students' preference (the final grade can be calculated as follows: 50% lab exercise + 50% exam, or 20% lab exercise + 80% exam, other combinations also possible), it is up to students to decide whether they would like to accomplish only one or more assignments. The assignments should be preferably implemented in java/C (for other environments contact Ivan). Send the final package to ivan#ii.uib.no until the end of semester (~16.5.2007). The lab package should include the source code with adequate in-line documentation, compiled binaries, short documentation of the implemented algorithm, short documentation of the user interface and annotated images with results (e.g., in html, doc, ppt).

Volume Visualization:

• Interactive inspection of volumetric data by adjusting the transfer function (10 %)
  Download and install a volume visualization framework (e.g., http://www.volumeshop.org/, http://www.kitware.com/products/volview.html, http://www.cs.utah.edu/~jmk/simian/), load an arbitrary dataset and define transfer function in order to visualize the data.
• Interactive inspection of volumetric data by visualizing 2D slices
  Implement a tool for visualization of the 2D slices for visualization of volumetric data from all 3 orthogonal directions (10 %).
  Interactive selection of an arbitrary view direction (10%).
• Marching cubes
  Implement the Marching cubes algorithm. A detailed description of the algorithm can be found in the slides for the third lecture unit.
  Visualization of the data from orthogonal (axis-aligned) view direction (30%).
  Interactive selection of the view vector and the light vector (5%).
  Phong shading and Gouraud shading of the triangles (5%).
  Interactive specification of the threshold value (e.g., only wire-frame model) (10%).
  
• Ray-casting
  Implement the Ray casting algorithm for volumetric data. A detailed description of the algorithm can be found in the slides for the fourth lecture unit.
  Visualization of the data from orthogonal (axis-aligned) view direction (20%).
  Maximum intensity projection and averaging (10%)
  Interactive selection of the view vector and the light vector (10%).
  Interactive specification of the transfer function (10%).
  Progressive refinement (5%).
  Adaptive step size (5%).
  Perspective projection / viewing (10%).
  

Flow Visualization:

• Hedgehog plot of 2D flow array (20%)
  Implement a tool for visualization of 2D flow array with the hedgehog plot (see also the slides for the seventh lecture unit). The final visualization should consist of visualization of one data attribute as a background and the vector field with the arrow plot. Moreover, it should be possible to change the size and the color of the arrows according to an arbitrary attribute.

Volumetric:
6 Bytes header (read xDim; read yDim; read zDim; - each 2 Bytes), then 16 Bits per data value (only 12 Bits used) (for z = 1 to zDim; for y = 1 to yDim; for x = 1 to xDim; read data[x][y][z]). Dependent on the processor / programming language the byte-order should be permuted (e.g., #define SWAP_16(s) ( ((s) >> 8) | ((s) << 8) ))

Lobster
Skewed head
Hurricane Isabel (one slice, timestep 11)
Tremendous TU-Vienna Data Repository

2D Vector:
Flow field around a block (non-regular grid!):
description of the geometry
and the corresponding data attributes
The detailed description of the file format can be found here.

Please contact Ivan (ivan#ii.uib.no) in case of any question.