Algorithmic Development of Visualization Under Foveated Geometries

该项目涉及用于科学可视化应用的凹面几何图形的使用。这种几何形状的两个主要动机是(1)与生物视觉系统的类比，(2)其显著降低的像素密度，即视野半径的对数。为了弥补中心凹几何形状周边视觉的损失，主动可视化的方法是允许用户交互控制几个视觉参数，包括快速扫视和可调节的分辨率。这些都是新的功能，将添加到更传统的导航控制中。凹槽几何将是使当前的可视化系统更健壮、可伸缩和可扩展的关键。该项目将研究三个主要领域：-渲染和处理凹陷图像的算法和数据结构。详细说明：小波理论及相应的凹陷多分辨率算法。-主动可视化在互联网等计算的“细线模型”中的应用。在一个典型的“细线”可视化场景中，想象一个具有强大计算资源的图像服务器，一个显示具有普通PC计算能力的图像的客户端，在它们之间是一条细线。在当前的可视化应用中，从客户端到服务器的带宽使用量可以忽略不计，但另一个方向的带宽是一个严重的瓶颈。为了换取从客户端到图像服务器的适度带宽，主动可视化能够消除这一瓶颈。这样的发展会对可视化产生重大影响。***

This project concerns the use of foveated geometries for scientific visualization applications. Two main motivations for such geometries are (1) the analogy with biological vision systems, and (2) their remarkably reduced pixel density that is logarithmic in the radius of the visual field. To compensate for the loss of peripheral vision in foveated geometries, the approach of active visualization is to allow the user interactive control of several parameters of vision, including rapid saccades and adjustable resolution. These are new capabilities, to be added to the more conventional navigational control. Foveated geometries will be a key to making current visualization systems more robust, scalable and extendible. The project will investigate three main areas: - Algorithms and data structures for rendering and manipulating foveated images. - Wavelet theory and algorithms for a corresponding concept of foveated multiresolution. - Application of active visualization in "thin-wire models" of computation such as the internet. In a typical "thin-wire" visualization scenario, imagine an image server with powerful computational resources, a client displaying images with the the computational power of stock PC's, and between them, a thin-wire. In current visualization applications, the bandwidth usage from client to server is negligible but the bandwidth in the other direction is a severe bottleneck. In exchange for a modest amount of bandwidth going from client to image server, active visualization is able to remove this bottleneck. Such a development can have major impact on visualization. ***