Pretty Porous

What is visualization?

What is visualization? making hidden things visible

Computer simulations result in enormous amounts of data. Finding answers is like searching for the proverbial “needle in a haystack”. Pictures or graphics are essential here. They make visible what would be otherwise remain hidden from the eye.

„Today we have a constantly increasing flood of data. Even their calculation and storage is very complex. Therefore, the data must be prepared accordingly. This is where visualization comes in.” – Prof. Thomas Ertl, Head of the Visualization Institute and Spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence EXC 2075 “Data-Integrated Simulation Science” at the University of Stuttgart.

“Visualization of phase transitions in a simulation of barium titanate“
University of Stuttgart / VISUS
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Visualization of a laser ablation
University of Stuttgart / VISUS / SFB 716

Visualizations transform the data from computer simulations into graphic representations. Scientists can often use these images to interpret the information in the data more easily. Scientific visualizations are usually three-dimensional and interactive, which means that they can be viewed from all sides.

Visualizations on high-resolution large projection screens make even the smallest details visible, which would hardly be visible on normal screens. The size of the screen also makes it easier for the scientists to analyze the data together.

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Visualization of an enzyme Enzyms (Candida Antractica Lipase B)
University of Stuttgart / VISUS
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“Visualization of phase transitions in a simulation of barium titanate”
University of Stuttgart / VISUS
Dieses Bild hat ein leeres Alt-Attribut. Der Dateiname ist place_holder.jpg
“Visualization of phase transitions in a simulation of barium titanate”
University of Stuttgart / VISUS
Dieses Bild hat ein leeres Alt-Attribut. Der Dateiname ist place_holder.jpg
CAVE at the High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS)
University of Stuttgart / David Ausserhofer
Visualization of a laser ablation
University of Stuttgart / VISUS / SFB 716