Visualization (graphics): Difference between revisions

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{{redirect-several|Visualization}}

{{more citations needed|date=February 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}

[[File:FAE visualization.jpg|thumb|250px|Visualization of how a car deforms in an asymmetrical crash using [[finite element analysis]]]]

'''Visualization''' (or '''visualisation''' (see [[American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization)|spelling differences'''visualisation''']]), also known as '''graphics visualization''', is any technique for creating [[image]]s, [[diagram]]s, or [[animation]]s to communicate a message. Visualization through visual imagery has been an effective way to communicate both abstract and concrete ideas since the dawn of humanity. Examples from history include [[cave painting]]s, [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]], Greek [[geometry]], and [[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s revolutionary methods of technical drawing for engineering andpurposes that actively involve scientific purposesrequirements.

Visualization today has ever-expanding applications in science, education, engineering (e.g., product visualization), [[interactive visualization|interactive multimedia]], [[medical visualization|medicine]], etc. Typical of a visualization application is the field of [[computer graphics]]. The invention of computer graphics (and [[3D computer graphics]]) may be the most important development in visualization since the invention of [[perspective projection|central perspective]] in the [[Renaissance]] period. The development of [[animation]] also helped advance visualization.

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[[File:Minard's Map (vectorized).svg|250px|thumb|right|[[Charles Minard]]'s information graphic of [[Napoleon]]'s march]]

The use of visualization to present information is not a new phenomenon. It has been used in maps, scientific drawings, and data plots for over a thousand years. Examples from [[cartography]] include [[Geographia (Ptolemy)|Ptolemy's Geographia]] (2nd century AD), a map of China (1137 AD), and [[Charles Joseph Minard|Minard]]'s map (1861) of [[Napoleon]]'s [[French invasion of Russia|invasion of Russia]] a century and a half ago. Most of the concepts learned in devising these images carry over in a straightforward manner to computer visualization. [[Edward Tufte]] has written three critically acclaimed books that explain many of these principles.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tufte |first=Edward R. |author-link=Edward Tufte |year=1990 |title=Envisioning Information|publisher=Graphics Press |url=https://archive.org/details/envisioninginfor00tuft |url-access=registration |isbn=0961392118}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Tufte |first=Edward R. |author-link=Edward Tufte |edition=2nd |orig-year=1st Pub. 1983 |year=2001 |title=The Visual Display of Quantitative Information |publisher=Graphics Press |isbn=0961392142 |url=https://archive.org/details/visualdisplayofq00tuft }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Tufte |first=Edward R. |author-link=Edward Tufte |year=1997 |title=Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative |publisher=Graphics Press |isbn=0961392126 |url=https://archive.org/details/visualexplanatio00tuft }}</ref>

Computer graphics has from its beginning been used to study scientific problems. However, in its early days the lack of graphics power often limited its usefulness. The recent emphasis on visualization started in 1987 with the publication of Visualization in Scientific Computing, a special issue of Computer Graphics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evl.uic.edu/core.php?mod=4&type=3&indi=348|title=evl – electronic visualization laboratory|website=www.evl.uic.edu|access-date=2 September 2018|archive-date=30 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430224223/https://www.evl.uic.edu/core.php?mod=4&type=3&indi=348|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since then, there have been several conferences and workshops, co-sponsored by the [[IEEE Computer Society]] and [[ACM SIGGRAPH]], devoted to the general topic, and special areas in the field, for example volume visualization.

Most people are familiar with the digital animations produced to present [[meteorological]] data during weather reports on [[television]], though few can distinguish between those models of reality and the [[satellite photo]]s that are also shown on such programs. TV also offers scientific visualizations when it shows computer drawn and animated reconstructions of road or airplane accidents. Some of the most popular examples of scientific visualizations are [[computer-generated images]] that show real [[spacecraft]] in action, out in the void far beyond Earth, or on other [[planet]]s.{{Citation needed|date=January 2013}} Dynamic forms of visualization, such as [[educational animation]] or [[timeline]]s, have the potential to enhance learning about systems that change over time.

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As a subject in [[computer science]], [[scientific visualization]] is the use of interactive, sensory representations, typically visual, of abstract data to reinforce [[cognition]], [[hypothesis]] building, and [[reasoning]].

[[Scientific visualization]] is the transformation, selection, or representation of data from simulations or experiments, with an implicit or explicit geometric structure, to allow the exploration, analysis, and understanding of the data. Scientific visualization focuses and emphasizes the representation of higher order data using primarily graphics and animation techniques.<ref>"Scientific Visualization." sciencedaily.com. Science Daily, 2010. Retrieved from web [https://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/scientific_visualization.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/scientific_visualization.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423174848/https://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/scientific_visualization.htm |date=23 April 2015 }}. on 17 November 2011.</ref><ref>"Scientific Visualization." Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute. Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, n.d. Retrieved from web [http://www.sci.utah.edu/research/visualization.html http://www.sci.utah.edu/research/visualization.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004210316/http://www.sci.utah.edu/research/visualization.html |date=4 October 2019 }}. on 17 November 2011.</ref> It is a very important part of visualization and maybe the first one, as the visualization of experiments and phenomena is as old as [[science]] itself. Traditional areas of scientific visualization are [[flow visualization]], [[medical visualization]], [[astrophysical visualization]], and [[molecular graphics|chemical visualization]]. There are several different techniques to visualize scientific data, with [[isosurface|isosurface reconstruction]] and [[volume rendering|direct volume rendering]] being the more common.

=== Data and information visualization ===

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Data visualization is a related subcategory of visualization dealing with [[statistical graphics]] and [[geospatial data]] (as in [[thematic map|thematic cartography]]) that is abstracted in schematic form.<ref name = "MF08">[[Michael Friendly]] (2008). [https://web.archive.org/web/20180926124138/http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/milestone/milestone.pdf "Milestones in the history of thematic cartography, statistical graphics, and data visualization"]. Project moved to http://datavis.ca/milestones/</ref>

[[File:Grafana dashboard for MusicBrainz Hetzner Yamaoka server screenshot.webp|thumb|Example of information visualization for [[website monitoring]] ([[MusicBrainz]] server with [[Grafana]])]]

Information visualization concentrates on the use of computer-supported tools to explore large amount of abstract data. The term "information visualization" was originally coined by the User Interface Research Group at Xerox PARC and included [[Jock D. Mackinlay|Jock Mackinlay]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2013}} Practical application of information visualization in computer programs involves selecting, [[data transformation|transforming]], and representing abstract data in a form that facilitates human interaction for exploration and understanding. Important aspects of information visualization are dynamics of visual representation and the interactivity. Strong techniques enable the user to modify the visualization in real-time, thus affording unparalleled perception of patterns and structural relations in the abstract data in question.

=== Educational visualization ===

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=== Knowledge visualization ===

The use of visual representations to transfer knowledge between at least two persons aims to improve the transfer of [[knowledge]] by using [[computer]] and non-computer-based visualization methods complementarily.<ref>(Burkhard and Meier, 2004),</ref> Thus properly designed visualization is an important part of not only data analysis but knowledge transfer process, too.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Opiła|first=Janusz|date=1 April 2019|title=Role of Visualization in a Knowledge Transfer Process|journal=Business Systems Research Journal|volume=10|issue=1|pages=164–179|doi=10.2478/bsrj-2019-0012|issn=1847-9375|doi-access=free}}</ref> Knowledge transfer may be significantly improved using hybrid designs as it enhances information density but may decrease clarity as well. For example, visualization of a 3D [[scalar field]] may be implemented using iso-surfaces for field distribution and textures for the gradient of the field.<ref>{{Cite journalbook|last1=Opila|first1=J.|last2=Opila|first2=G.|datetitle=May 2018 41st International Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO) |titlechapter=Visualization of computable scalar 3D field using cubic interpolation or kernel density estimation function |journaldate=2018 41st International Convention onMay Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO)2018|___location=Opatija|publisher=IEEE|pages=0189–0194|doi=10.23919/MIPRO.2018.8400036|isbn=9789532330953|s2cid=49640048}}</ref> Examples of such visual formats are [[sketch (drawing)|sketch]]es, [[diagram]]s, [[image]]s, objects, interactive visualizations, information visualization applications, and imaginary visualizations as in [[narrative|stories]]. While information visualization concentrates on the use of computer-supported tools to derive new insights, knowledge visualization focuses on transferring insights and creating new [[knowledge]] in [[group (sociology)|groups]]. Beyond the mere transfer of [[fact]]s, knowledge visualization aims to further transfer [[insight]]s, [[experience]]s, [[attitude (psychology)|attitude]]s, [[value (personal and cultural)|value]]s, [[expectation (epistemic)|expectation]]s, [[perspective (cognitive)|perspective]]s, [[opinion]]s, and [[predictionestimate]]s in different fields by using various complementary visualizations.

See also: [[picture dictionary]], [[visual dictionary]]

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The rapid response time required for interactive visualization is a difficult constraint to meet and there are several approaches that have been explored to provide people with rapid visual feedback based on their input. Some include

#''[[Parallel rendering]]'' – where more than one computer or video card is used simultaneously to render an image. Multiple frames can be rendered at the same time by different computers and the results are transferred over the network for display on a single [[computer monitor|monitor]]. This requires each computer to hold a copy of all the information to be [https://www.toplistedsoftz.online/2023/08/simlab-soft-full-updated.html rendered] and increases bandwidth, but also increases latency. Also, each computer can render a different region of a single frame and send the results over a network for display. This again requires each computer to hold all of the data and can lead to a load imbalance when one computer is responsible for rendering a region of the screen with more information than other computers. Finally, each computer can render an entire frame containing a subset of the information. The resulting images plus the associated [[depth buffer]] can then be sent across the network and merged with the images from other computers. The result is a single frame containing all the information to be rendered, even though no single computer's memory held all of the information. This is called ''parallel depth compositing'' and is used when large amounts of information must be rendered interactively.

#''Progressive rendering'' – where a framerate is guaranteed by rendering some subset of the information to be presented and providing incremental (progressive) improvements to the rendering once the visualization is no longer changing.

#''Level-of-detail ([[Level of detail (computer graphics)|LOD]]) rendering'' – where simplified representations of information are rendered to achieve a desired framerate while a person is providing input and then the full representation is used to generate a still image once the person is through manipulating the visualization. One common variant of LOD rendering is ''[[Chroma subsampling|subsampling]].'' When the information being represented is stored in a [[Topology|topologically]] rectangular array (as is common with [[digital photo]]s, [[MRI scan]]s, and [[finite difference]] simulations), a lower resolution version can easily be generated by skipping ''n'' points for each 1 point rendered. Subsampling can also be used to accelerate rendering techniques such as volume visualization that require more than twice the computations for an image twice the size. By rendering a smaller image and then [[image scaling|scaling]] the image to fill the requested screen space, much less time is required to render the same data.

#''Frameless rendering'' – where the visualization is no longer presented as a time series of images, but as a single image where different regions are updated over time.

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*[[Graphical perception]]

*[[Spatial visualization ability]]

*[[Visual language]]

==References==

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*[http://www.cc.gatech.edu/scivis/tutorial/tutorial.html Scientific Visualization Tutorials, Georgia Tech]

* [http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Scientific Visualization Studio (NASA)]

*[http://www.visual-literacy.org/index.html Visual-literacy.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022155301/http://www.visual-literacy.org/index.html |date=22 October 2019 }}, (e.g. [http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html Periodic Table of Visualization Methods])

;Conferences

Many conferences occur where interactive visualization academic papers are presented and published.

* Amer. Soc. of Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T SIGVIS) [http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGVIS/index.htm Special Interest Group in Visualization Information and Sound] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202145828/http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGVIS/index.htm |date=2 December 2008 }}

*[http://www.acm.org/sigchi/ ACM SIGCHI]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060206183123/http://www.siggraph.org/ ACM SIGGRAPH]