A Smaller, More Manageable Universe

February 11, 2000 -- The nature of scientific visualization and the disbursement of scientists all over the world who wish to share and compare data -- these factors seem to cry out for applications designed for collaboration. What's more, they require advanced 3D graphics that are small and manageable for downloads and that offer platform-independent portability. When the Java^TM programming language and Java 3D^TM API became available, it was natural that three distinguished research organizations with a common commitment to making collaborative computing a success in the world of science would become early adopters of these technologies.

Three Institutes Working Toward Worldwide Collaboration

Today the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign work together to develop collaborative scientific engineering programs using the Java 3D API.

"We believe in platform independence. The JavaTM platform and the Java 3DTM API offer the only true solution for platform-independent 3D graphics. The Java 3D API is designed extremely well -- we wouldn't consider using anything else!" -- Bill Hibbard, Space Science and Engineering Center

SSEC develops satellite instruments and data systems in support of earth and space science projects. The SSEC Visualization project focuses on making advanced visualization techniques useful to scientists in their daily work, primarily thorough its Vis5D and VisAD systems. VisAD defines an abstract interface for visualization and includes implementations of this interface using the Java 3D API. "One big advantage of the Java 3D API is its support for immersive virtual reality," said Bill Hibbard, scientist, the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Recognizing common interests and specific strengths, Hibbard began working with NCSA and UCAR to make their advanced visualization techniques useful to scientists in their daily work.

3D Images for Clarity of Numerical Data

The UCAR Unidata Program serves over 150 university departments spread throughout North America and is helping to develop the next-generation of meteorological analysis and display software. The software will enable users to create, for example, vertical wind profiles viewed in 3D, satellite imagery displayed on a rotating, spherical Earth, and "fly through" numerical weather models.

"We're using the Java 3D API as part of an ongoing effort to provide university meteorology departments with the latest software technology for analyzing and displaying data. The expectation is that the researcher or student will gain a quicker understanding or a deeper insight of weather phenomena by viewing the (often overwhelming) data in 3D rather than in 2D," says Steve Emmerson, software engineer, the Unidata Program Center of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

In order to translate weather data into a graphically understandable format, the UCAR Unidata Program is developing a library, specific to the meteorological domain, on top of the SSEC VisAD Java class library. The long-range goal of this MetApps project (short for Meteorological Applications) is a free set of tools for participants in the Unidata Program to enable interactive and collaborative visualization and analysis of weather data for research and education purposes.

Cross-Platform Collaboration

NCSA, too, has used VisAD and the Java 3D API. NCSA is a research organization and part of the National Computational Science Alliance (the Alliance). Its facilities house some of the most advanced virtual environment laboratories in academia, including three different projection-based display systems -- the CAVE, the ImmersaDesk and the Infinity Wall -- which enable researchers to literally get inside their data. This often leads to a better understanding of the data than would have been possible otherwise.

"Collaboration is key to our business," says Charlie Catlett, chief technology officer, NCSA. "We chose the Java 3D API because it enables researchers around the world to simultaneously interact with the same model at the same time. And it is critical to have a high performance tool that is capable of running on different platforms. We want our users who have access to high-end graphics hardware, such as virtual reality CAVEs, to be able to run our application just as easily as users who use low-end PC hardware. Licensing the Java 3D API by companies like SGI and HP, and by groups such as the Linux community's Blackdown organization, will make collaboration among our researchers and engineers smoother and more effective."

NCSA and SSEC have already collaborated on creating an immersive version of the GoesRetrieval program, a satellite instrument analysis application based on VisAD. NCSA's Java 3D API utility library, NCSA Portfolio, was used to create real-time updates of motion within the immersive display. This allows remote users to view all changes in the display as they are occurring, regardless of the type of system they have. NCSA Portfolio also includes support for 3D model loading and many different types of input devices. Currently, NCSA and SSEC are working on incorporating the NCSA Portfolio with VisAD to provide a link to the ImmersaDesk.

"Being able to use the Java 3D API on different types of hardware and input devices is really key. After all, not everyone has exactly the same kind of hardware, and we can't specify what other people will use. We now have the flexibility to deploy our applications wherever the Java 3D API is supported," says Steve Pietrowicz, project manager, NCSA Java 3D Group, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Java Technology Advantage

Emmerson explains the value of Java technology: "At the time the Unidata Program began, most applications at university meteorological departments were mini-computer or workstation-based and used some form of the UNIX operating system. As a consequence, we developed considerable expertise supporting traditional software analysis and display packages on a variety of UNIX systems."

"With the advent of cheap yet powerful PCs running a variety of operating systems, and our legacy commitment to existing and future UNIX systems, we knew the cost of supporting multiple platforms would only increase. Thus, we were already in a 'Write Once, Run Anywhere^TM' frame of mind when Java technology showed up, and we subsequently began experimenting with it. When the Java 3D API became available, we saw three things of importance to us:

• It was compatible with Java technology;

• It encourages the development of platform-neutral applications; and

• It moved the cost of multiplatform support from us to the platform suppliers (where it belongs)."

Spreading Knowledge Around the Globe

Among other things, the collaboration between SSEC, NCSA and UCAR is enabling the spread of their collective knowledge to scientists around the world. The Java 3D technology-based applications under development by these three institutes will help them continue to change the nature of scientific visualization.

"Networking and human interface are the driving forces in the computer world. Therefore it is crucial for us to communicate globally via networked solutions based on Java 3D technology," says Hibbard.

See Also

Java 3D API Home Page
(http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/index.html)

SSEC VisAD application
(http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~billh/visad.html)

NCSA Portfolio Library
(http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~srp/Java3D/portfolio/)

UCAR MetApps project
(http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/community/committees/umada/index.html)

[ This page was updated: 11-Feb-00 ]