Skip to main content
Log in

Ubiquitous interactive visualization of 3D mantle convection using a web-portal with Java and Ajax framework

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Visual Geosciences

Abstract

We have developed a new strategy and espouse a novel paradigm for large-scale computing and real-time interactive visualization. This philosophy calls for intense interactive sessions for a couple of hours at a time at the expense of storing data on many disk drives during regular or heroic runs on massively parallel systems. We have already carried out successfully real-time volume-rendering visualization by employing hundreds of processors for a grid with over 25 million unknowns. Both Cartesian and spherical 3D mantle convection are visualized. The volume-rendered images are viewed on a large display device, with many panels holding around 13 million pixels. We will employ a software strategy involving an hierarchical rendering service, which will have as software an Ajax interface for interactive visualization of large data sets on many different platforms from desktop PC’s to hand-held devices, such as the OQO and the Nokia N-800. An option for stereo viewing is also implemented. We have installed a user interface as web application, using Java and Ajax framework in order to achieve over the Internet reasonable accessibility to our ongoing runs. Our goal is to expand the array of interactive devices, which will make it feasible to carry out ubiquitous visualization and monitoring of large-scale simulations or onsite events and to allow for collaborations across oceans.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Brandt A (1977) Multi-level adaptive solutions to boundary-value problems. Math Comput 31:333–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chorin AJ (1967) A numerical method for solving incompressible viscous flow problems. J Comp Phys 2:12–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen RE (2005) High-performance computing requirements for the computational solid-earth sciences, p 101. http://www.geo-prose.com/computational_SES.html

  • Kageyama A, Sato T (2004) “Yin-Yang grid”: an overset grid in spherical geometry. Geochem Geophys Geosyst, 5, Q09005. doi:10.1029/2004GC000734

  • Kageyama A (2005) Dissection of a sphere and Yin-Yang grid. J Earth Simulator 3:20–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin-Purcell K (1992) All about Bob: a tool for browsing 3D data sets, Army High Performance Computing Research Center, Minneapolis, AHPCRC preprint, no. 92–141

  • Damon M, Kameyama M, Knox M, Porter D, Yuen D, Sevre E (2008) Interactive visualization of 3D mantle convection. Vis Geosci. doi:10.1007/s10069-007-0008-1

  • Goyette S, Takatsuka M, Clark S, Mueller RD, Rey P, Stegman DR (2007) Increasing the usability and accessibility of geodynamic modelling tools to the geoscience community: underworld GUI. Vis Geosci (in press)

  • Graham SL, Snir M, Patterson CA (eds) (2005) Getting up to speed: the future of supercomputing. National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., p 289

  • Kameyama M (2005) ACuTEMan: a multigrid-based mantle convection simulation code and its optimization to the earth simulator. J Earth Simulator 4:2–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Kameyama M, Kageyama A, Sato T (2007) Multigrid-based simulation code for mantle convection in spherical shell using Yin-Yang Grid. Phys Earth Planet Int (submitted)

  • Kameyama M, Kageyama A, Sato T (2005) Multigrid iterative algorithm using pseudo-compressibility for three-dimensional mantle convection with strongly variable viscosity. J Comput Phys 206:162–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pilgrim M (2002) What is RSS. Retrieved March 1, 2008 from http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/12/18/dive-into-xml.html

  • Porter DH (2002) Volume visualization of high-resolution data using PC Clusters. http://www.lcse.umn.edu/hvr/pc_vol_rend_L.pdf/

  • Porter DH, Woodward PR, Iyer A (2002) Initial experiences wtih grid-based volume visualization of fluid low simulations on PC Clusters. http://www.lcse.umn.edu/dhp1/articles.html.

  • Trottenberg U, Oosterlee C, Schueller A (2001) Multigrid. Academic Press, London, p 631

  • Wesseling P (1992) An introduction to multigrid methods. Wiley, New York, p 284

  • Stegman DR, Moresi L, Turnbull R, Lo A, Quenette S (2005) gLucifer: next-generation visualization framework for high-performance computational geodynamic models. Eos Trans AGU Fall Meet Suppl, Abstract IN42A-03

  • Stegman DR, Moresi L, Turnbull R, Giordani J, Sunter P, Lo A, Quenette S (2008) gLucifer: next generation visualization framework for high-performance computational geodynamics. Vis Geosci (in press)

  • Willoughby HE (2007) Atmosphere: forecasting hurricane intensity and impacts. Science 315(5816):1232–12332. doi:10.1126/science.1140041

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuen D, Damon M, Kameyama M, Knox M, Porter D, Sevre E, Woodward P (2007) Interactive visualization and monitoring of large-scale 3D mantle convection runs, Abstract for AGU, San Francisco, CA, December

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank ITR program and the IF program of middleware development from EAR division of the National Science Foundation and also the National Scientific Integration and Visualization Office (SIVO, 610.3) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for their support in activities relating to this research. We thank discussions with Professor Paul R. Woodward, Dr. David H. Porter, Mr. Erik O.D. Sevre and Professor Gordon Erlebacher and Mr. E. Farmer Bollig both from Florida State University. We thank Dr. Yingchun “Spring” Liu very much for her artistic work. We are grateful to Ms. Stephanie Chen for her help.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David A. Yuen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Greensky, J.B.S.G., Czech, W.W., Yuen, D.A. et al. Ubiquitous interactive visualization of 3D mantle convection using a web-portal with Java and Ajax framework. Vis Geosci 13, 105–115 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10069-008-0013-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10069-008-0013-z

Keywords

Navigation