The Integrated Data Viewer A webenabled tool for geoscientific analysis and visualization

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The Integrated Data Viewer A web-enabled tool
for geoscientific analysis and visualization

• Don Murray
• Unidata Program Center
• University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

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Overview

• Unidata Overview
• Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) Overview
• IDV features
• Supported data formats
• Web enabled features
• IDV as an Integrator
• Visual Geophysical Exploration Environment (VGEE)
• Summary
• Demo

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Unidata Overview

• Mission Statement
• Provide data, tools and community leadership for
  enhanced Earth-system education and research
• At the Unidata Program Center, we
• Facilitate (real-time) Data Access IDD/LDM,
  THREDDS
• Provide tools netCDF, IDV, GEMPAK, McIDAS
• Support faculty and staff
• Build and advocate for a community of geoscience
  educators and researchers

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What is the IDV?

• Unidatas newest scientific analysis and
  visualization tool
• Freely available Java framework and reference
  application
• Provides 2- and 3-D displays of geoscientific
  data
• Stand-alone or networked application
• Built on VisAD library

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VisADs Data Model

• Designed to support virtually any numerical data
• Metadata can be integrated into each data object
• Supports mathematical operations as well as
  evaluation and resampling of data
• Supports spatial and temporal co-location of data
• Supports data sharing among different users,
  different data sources and different scientific
  disciplines
• May be used independently of the VisAD display
  model

Gully erosion/deposition from VisAD-based
DEMViewer
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IDV Features

• 2- and 3-D visualizations
• Integrated displays of a variety of data types
• Access to data on THREDDS servers
• Suite of data probes for interactive exploration
  (slice and dice)
• Animations (temporal and spatial)
• HTML interface for pedagogic materials
• XML configuration and bundling allows
  collaboration with other educators
• Auto-update through Web Start

Model simulation of wind, isentropic potential
vorticity and low level moisture flow over the
Great Salt Lake basin
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Supported Data Formats

• The IDV can integrate displays of a variety of
  geoscientific and other data including

• Scientific
• Georeferenced netCDF data
• Vis5D data
• McIDAS/ADDE (satellite, radar, surface and upper
  air)
• Archive Level II radar
• Social
• ESRI shapefiles (e.g. map boundaries)
• ArcInfo ASCIIGRID (e.g., DEM)
• GeoTIFF
• OGC Standards
• Educational
• HTML
• QuickTime

NO2 concentrations over Berlin, Germany data
from netCDF, maps from shapefile
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Unique IDV Features

• Interactive probes for dataset exploration
• Parameter readouts
• Vertical profiles
• Time/Height displays
• Lat/Lon/Alt position
• QuickTime capture and playback
• Incorporation of educational materials
• User defined formulas
• Extensible framework
• Extensive use of network resources

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Web enabled features

• Client/Server data access
• XML Configuration
• XML Persistence
• Integrated HTML Viewer
• Use of Java Web Start
• Real-time collaboration

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Web Enabled FeaturesClient/Server Data Access

• Access data from DODS/OPeNDAP, ADDE or WMS
  servers, as well as local files, HTTP and FTP
• Allows subsetting of large datasets
• Can use THREDDS catalogs of data holdings indexed
  in digital libraries (e.g. DLESE) for discovery
  and usage metadata

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Web Enabled Features XML Configuration

• IDV uses XML to configure the user experience
• Configuration files can be local or distributed
  across one or more web servers
• Offers flexibility to adapt the interface to
  different
• learners
• tasks
• data sets
• content areas

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Web Enabled Features XML Persistence

• State of the application (loaded data sources and
  data depictions) can be saved in XML bundles
• Bundles can be loaded at startup or imported
  on-the-fly
• Displays can be annotated and these can be saved
  in the bundle as explanations
• Bundles can be distributed around the Internet
  (on web servers or e-mail attachments)

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Web Enabled Features Integrated HTML Viewer

• IDV includes a customized HTML viewer
• Viewer can be used to provide context with
  associated data displays
• IDV displays can be easily embedded in the HTML
• Can be used as a customized UI which controls the
  IDV

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Web Enabled Features Use of Java Web Start

• Java Web Start can be used to load in the IDV
  from a web page
• JNLP files can include pointers to configuration
  files and bundles for customization (VGEE)
• Web Start provides automatic software updates

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Web Enabled Features Collaboration Features

• Users can share IDV sessions
• Works locally in a classroom or remotely through
  the Internet
• Configurable as peer-to-peer, or client-server
  mode
• Incorporated chat facility and drawing tool for
  communication

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IDV as an Integrator

• Integrating data from disparate data sources is
  easy with the IDV
• Data can come from local and remote locations
• Data on different projections are automatically
  remapped
• Data from different times are synced

Isosurface of radar reflectivity from Level
II data source, topography from ASCIIGRID DEM
file, and interstate highways and county
outlines/labels from shapefiles.
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Extending the IDV

• The IDV framework can be used and extended to
  provide tools for other disciplines/applications
• May need new DataSource objects for adapting
  unsupported data formats
• XML configuration for new User Interface
• New controls for new displays
• Components can be used to create pedagogical
  applications incorporating curriculum materials
  (e.g., VGEE).

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The Visual Geophysical Exploration Environment
(VGEE)

• The VGEE is an integrated framework in which
  students use authentic data and tools to
  investigate a contemporary scientific issue

• It includes
• A learner-centered interface to the IDV
• Concept models that support physical insight
• A curriculum to guide inquiry
• A catalog of data and services to use data

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Probing Data in the VGEE
The VGEE adds simple, interactive java applets to
the IDV. These applets, or concept models, can be
used to probe data. This helps students see
basic physics in real data and apply theoretical
understandings to real geophysical phenomena.
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GEON - A Geologic Example

• GEON is building a national information
  infrastructure to support the geosciences by
  allowing seamless data and tool interoperability.
• GEON provides an opportunity to extend the VGEE
  to a geologic context
• A global data-set of shear-wave velocities
• Enhancements to IDV datasets to allow 3D
  visualization of data
• Develop a curriculum to guide use and exploration
  of the data
• Develop and repurpose concept models to support
  these investigations

Upper mantle shear-wave velocity anomalies 50 to
225 km
Credits Mike Ritzwoller (CU, 3D tomography),
Bill Holt and Corne Kreemer (SUNY Stonybrook,
velocities and strain rate), Chuck Meertens
(UNAVCO, IDV bundle).
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Future Development

• New Data Types
• Support for additional geoscience data sets
  (geologic, oceanographic, hydrologic)
• More GIS data (GeoTIFF, Shapefile features, WCS)
• New Features
• Web log (blog) integration
• Catalog annotation
• Auto-update of displays
• Trajectory Tracers (a la Vis5D)

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Future Development with THREDDS

• Middleware to support metadata queries for
  available times and parameters (not just
  catalogs)
• Enhanced data choosers which take into account
  the semantics of the datasets

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Summary

• Unidatas IDV is a freely available, powerful
  analysis and visualization tool which can
  facilitate geoscientific education and research
  by
• Integrating diverse, distributed datasets
• Allowing customized user experiences
• Enabling collaborations
• Unidata is looking to work with other developers
  to enhance and expand the IDV capabilities
• Unidata is looking to work with educators to
  develop curriculum materials which use the IDV.

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For Further Information

• Integrated Data Viewer homepage
• http//my.unidata.ucar.edu/content/software/IDV
• VisAD homepage
• http//www.ssec.wisc.edu/billh/visad.html
• Visual Geophysical Exploration Environment (VGEE)
  homepage
• http//www.dlese.org/vgee
• GEON/IDV (UNAVCO)
• http//www.unavco.org/research_science/products/GE
  ON/ GEON.html