Visualization Dot Com

In this article, we explore the seemingly well-worn subject of distance-based, or remote visualization. Current practices in remote visualization tend to clump into two broad categories. One approach, which we’ll call render-remote, is to render an image remotely, then transmit the image to the user. Another option, render-local, transfers raw data to the user, where it is then visualized and rendered on the local workstation. With advances in networking and graphics technology, we can explore a class of approaches from a new, third category. With this third category, which we’ll call shared, or “dot com” visualization, we stand to reap the best of both worlds; minimized data transfers and workstation-accelerated rendering. We will describe a prototype system called Visapult currently under development at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) that strikes such a balance, achieving a blended, scalable visualization tool. “Dot com” visualization means that remote and local resources collaborate and negotiate, combining capabilities to produce a final product.