Understand The World Better With Visualization

Our world is composed of countless models. For example, the formation of galaxies can be explained by a model of clustering and merging of masses; the traffic in a city can be illustrated by a model of myriad vehicles’ movement; and the activity of a cell can be demonstrated by a model of numerous organelles working together. Therefore, the key to understand our world is to understand these models. While scientists and specialists comprehend models in a specific area and continue to research in new models, laymen have great obstacles to understand these models.

Are there any approaches to this cognitive problem? Luckily, the scientific visualization made by Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) of NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Application) is a great method to overcome this difficulty. The AVL team used scientific models and data as raw materials, applied their visualization skill, artistic designs, data management and multi-media technique, and, with the calculation of supercomputers of NCSA, transformed the models to 3D movies, which can be easily understood by the laymen.

The visualization technology helps audiences realize that they can learn some complex systems without reading through the research papers of specialists. On Sept. 2, 2010, the Journalism 199 class of UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign) visited NCSA and watched a 3D movie made by NCSA’s Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL). Wearing 3D glasses, students watched high-resolution scientific visualization of supercomputer-generated models, and they were amazed at the vivid presentation of phenomena such as the formation of a tornado, the daily traffic of Chicago and the emergence of galaxies. Through watching the scientific visualization, students picked up pictorial, dynamic and causal concepts about how the world works. With the visualization technology, more people can understand the world better.