Collaborative Visualization for Large-Scale Accelerator Electromagnetic Modeling

Large-scale accelerator modeling is vital to the design and optimization of particle accelerators, and visualization is an indispensable component for capturing all relevant effects from the huge amount of simulation data. Yet, most visualization tools are limited to one computer of a single platform in one location with one display. Sharing visualizations largely consists of a single knowledge worker exploring and transforming the data, choosing a single view or a small subset of views that look interesting to him or her, and exporting static images to reports or presentations. While other scientists may gain some insight from these images, they are absent from the process of visualizing the data, and are unable to work together to extract the most useful insights. This project will develop a parallel visualization system to enable effective remote collaborations for complex data analysis in large-scale accelerator modeling. Phase I will determine the set of features required to create an effective collaborative system and will demonstrate a functional two-person collaborative visualization environment. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The visualization system not only should facilitate collaborations among accelerator scientists in geographically different locations but also should enable scientific discovery through images and animation of massive amounts of electromagnetic field and particle data.