HR: 1340h
AN: SF13A-0711    [Abstracts]
TI: Serving and Rendering Cluster-Based Ocean Model Output on a Geowall Using the Live Access Server
AU: * Moore, C W
EM: Christopher.Moore@noaa.gov
AF: JISAO/University of Washington, NOAA-PMEL, Bldg 3 7600 Sand Point Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115 United States
AU: Hermann, A J
EM: Albert.J.Hermann@noaa.gov
AF: JISAO/University of Washington, NOAA-PMEL, Bldg 3 7600 Sand Point Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115 United States
AU: Dobbins, E L
EM: Elizabeth.Dobbins@noaa.gov
AF: JISAO/University of Washington, NOAA-PMEL, Bldg 3 7600 Sand Point Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115 United States
AB: Scientists at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory are relying more and more on supercomputing platforms for their modeling efforts. Running ocean models on these large cluster machines poses problems in that domain sizes are increasing and tracking how the model dynamics are developing during a run requires high-bandwidth network time. In an effort to streamline this procedure both server and 3-D rending technology are utilized. Intermediate model results saved in netCDF file format can be served remotely to query model progress using the Live Access Server (LAS). In our implementation, a crontab script checks for model results and generates an XML data-file descriptor and adds the data set to the list of those available for LAS to serve up. On top of the default product choices (2-D plots, data listings, etc), the user can also chose one of two 3D file formats: either a VRML or a Vis5D file of the variable of interest. The LAS is built upon the Ferret data analysis package with the ability to re-grid variables defined on curvilinear coordinate grids and to serve up Vis5D files. An alternate back-end, written using the open-source Visualization Toolkit (VTK), can serve a VRML isosurface as well as current vector fields, keeping bandwidth low by utilizing topology-preserving polygon mesh decimation algorithms. Files served through our LAS system can be projected in passive stereo using a Geowall (www.geowall.org) by either Vis5D, or by ImmersaView. While ImmersaView offers the ability to animate through the VRML isosurfaces in collaboration with a remote researcher, Vis5D (an older-technology application) gives the user the ability to explore the data more thoroughly by allowing the scientist to change isosurfaces levels, or to probe the data using contour or vector slices. We will explore the possibility of using LAS as the server for the parallel, composite-rendering application ParaView.
UR: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/~hermann
DE: 4500 OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL
DE: 3300 METEOROLOGY AND ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS
SC: Special Focus: Advances in Data Acquisition, Management, Analysis and Display [SF]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting