Refine
Document Type
- Doctoral Thesis (9) (remove)
Language
- English (9) (remove)
Has Fulltext
- yes (9)
Keywords
- Visualization (9) (remove)
Faculty / Organisational entity
Nowadays, the increasing demand for ever more customizable products has emphasized the need for more flexible and fast-changing manufacturing systems. In this environment, simulation has become a strategic tool for the design, development, and implementation of such systems. Simulation represents a relatively low-cost and risk-free alternative for testing the impact and effectiveness of changes in different aspects of manufacturing systems.
Systems that deal with this kind of data for its use in decision making processes are known as Simulation-Based Decision Support Systems (SB-DSS). Although most SB-DSS provide a powerful variety of tools for the automatic and semi-automatic analysis of simulations, visual and interactive alternatives for the manual exploration of the results are still open to further development.
The work in this dissertation is focused on enhancing decision makers’ analysis capabilities by making simulation data more accessible through the incorporation of visualization and analysis techniques. To demonstrate how this goal can be achieved, two systems were developed. The first system, viPhos – standing for visualization of Phos: Greek for light –, is a system that supports lighting design in factory layout planning. viPhos combines simulation, analysis, and visualization tools and techniques to facilitate the global and local (overall factory or single workstations, respectively) interactive exploration and comparison of lighting design alternatives.
The second system, STRAD - standing for Spatio-Temporal Radar -, is a web-based systems that considers the spatio/attribute-temporal analysis of event data. Since decision making processes in manufacturing also involve the monitoring of the systems over time, STRAD enables the multilevel exploration of event data (e.g., simulated or historical registers of the status of machines or results of quality control processes).
A set of four case studies and one proof of concept prepared for both systems demonstrate the suitability of the visualization and analysis strategies adopted for supporting decision making processes in diverse application domains. The results of these case studies indicate that both, the systems as well as the techniques included in the systems can be generalized and extended to support the analysis of different tasks and scenarios.
Interactive visualization of large structured and unstructured data sets is a permanent challenge for scientific visualization. Large data sets are for example created by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) finite element method (FEM), and computer aided design (CAD). For visualizing those data sets not only accelerated rasterization by means of using specialized hardware i.e. graphics cards is of interest, but also ray casting, as it is perfectly suited for scientific visualization. Ray casting does not only support many rendering modes (e.g., opaque rendering, semi transparent rendering, iso surface rendering, maximum intensity projection, x-ray, absorption emitter model, ...) for which it allows the creation of high quality images, but it also supports many primitives (e.g., not only triangles but also spheres, curved iso surfaces, NURBS, implicit functions, ...). It furthermore scales basically linear to the amount of processor cores used and - this makes it highly interesting for the visualization of large data sets - it scales for static scenes sublinear to data size. Interactive ray casting is currently not widely used within the scientifc visualization community. This is mainly based on historical reasons, as just a few years ago no applicable interactive ray casters for commodity hardware did exist. Interactive scientific visualization has only been possible by using graphics cards or specialized and/or expensive hardware. The goal of this work is to broaden the possibilies for interactive scientific visualization, by showing that interactive CPU based ray casting is today feasible on commodity hardware and that it may efficiently be used together with GPU based rasterization. In this thesis it is first shown that interactive CPU based ray casters may efficiently be integrated into already existing OpenGL frameworks. This is achieved through an OpenGL friendly interface that supports multiple threads and single instruction multiple data (SIMD) operations. For the visualization of rectilinear (and not necessarily cartesian) grids are new implicit kd-trees introduced. They have fast construction times, low memory requirements, and allow ontoday's commodity desktop machines interactive iso surface ray tracing and maximum intensity projection of large scalar fields. A new interactive SIMD ray tracing technique for large tetrahedral meshes is introduced. It is very portable and general and is therefore suited for portation upon different (future) hardware and for usage upon several applications. The thesis ends with a real life commercial application which shows that CPU-based ray casting has already reached the state where it may outperform GPU-based rasterization for scientific visualization.
As visualization as a field matures, the discussion about the development of a
theory of the field becomes increasingly vivid. Despite some voices claiming that
visualization applications would be too different from each other to generalize,
there is a significant push towards a better understanding of the principles underlying
visual data analysis. As of today, visualization is primarily data-driven.
Years of experience in the visalization of all kinds of different data accumulated
a vast reservoir of implicit knowledge in the community of how to best represent
data according to its shape, its format, and what it is meant to express.
This knowledge is complemented by knowledge imported to visualization from
a variety of other fields, for example psychology, vision science, color theory,
and information theory. Yet, a theory of visualization is still only nascent. One
major reason for that is the field's too strong focus on the quantitative aspects
of data analysis. Although when designing visualizations major design decisions
also consider perception and other human factors, the overall appearance
of visualizations as of now is determined primarily by the type and format of
the data to be visualized and its quantitative attributes like scale, range, or
density. This is also reflected by the current approaches in theoretical work on
visualization. The models developed in this regard also concentrate primarily
on perceptual and quantitative aspects of visual data analysis. Qualitative considerations
like the interpretations made by viewers and the conclusions drawn
by analysts currently only play a minor role in the literature. This Thesis contributes
to the nascent theory of visualization by investigating approaches to
the explicit integration of qualitative considerations into visual data analysis.
To this end, it promotes qualitative visual analysis, the explicit discussion of
the interpretation of artifacts and structures in the visualization, of efficient
workflows designed to optimally support an analyst's reasoning strategy and
capturing information about insight provenance, and of design methodology
tailoring visualizations towards the insights they are meant to provide rather
than to the data they show. Towards this aim, three central qualitative principles
of visual information encodings are identified during the development of
a model for the visual data analysis process that explicitly includes the anticipated
reasoning structure into the consideration. This model can be applied
throughout the whole life cycle of a visualization application, from the early
design phase to the documentation of insight provenance during analysis using
the developed visualization application. The three principles identified inspire
novel visual data analysis workflows aiming for an insight-driven data analysis
process. Moreover, two case studies prove the benefit of following the qualitative
principles of visual information encodings for the design of visualization
applications. The formalism applied to the development of the presented theoretical
framework is founded in formal logics, mathematical set theory, and the
theory of formal languages and automata. The models discussed in this Thesis
and the findings derived from them are therefore based on a mathematically
well-founded theoretical underpinning. This Thesis establishes a sound theoretical
framework for the design and description of visualization applications and
the prediction of the conclusions an analyst is capable of drawing from working
with the visualization. Thereby, it contributes an important piece to the yet
unsolved puzzle of developing a visualization theory.
Comparative Uncertainty Visualization for High-Level Analysis of Scalar- and Vector-Valued Ensembles
(2022)
With this thesis, I contribute to the research field of uncertainty visualization, considering parameter dependencies in multi valued fields and the uncertainty of automated data analysis. Like uncertainty visualization in general, both of these fields are becoming more and more important due to increasing computational power, growing importance and availability of complex models and collected data, and progress in artificial intelligence. I contribute in the following application areas:
Uncertain Topology of Scalar Field Ensembles.
The generalization of topology-based visualizations to multi valued data involves many challenges. An example is the comparative visualization of multiple contour trees, complicated by the random nature of prevalent contour tree layout algorithms. I present a novel approach for the comparative visualization of contour trees - the Fuzzy Contour Tree.
Uncertain Topological Features in Time-Dependent Scalar Fields.
Tracking features in time-dependent scalar fields is an active field of research, where most approaches rely on the comparison of consecutive time steps. I created a more holistic visualization for time-varying scalar field topology by adapting Fuzzy Contour Trees to the time-dependent setting.
Uncertain Trajectories in Vector Field Ensembles.
Visitation maps are an intuitive and well-known visualization of uncertain trajectories in vector field ensembles. For large ensembles, visitation maps are not applicable, or only with extensive time requirements. I developed Visitation Graphs, a new representation and data reduction method for vector field ensembles that can be calculated in situ and is an optimal basis for the efficient generation of visitation maps. This is accomplished by bringing forward calculation times to the pre-processing.
Visually Supported Anomaly Detection in Cyber Security.
Numerous cyber attacks and the increasing complexity of networks and their protection necessitate the application of automated data analysis in cyber security. Due to uncertainty in automated anomaly detection, the results need to be communicated to analysts to ensure appropriate reactions. I introduce a visualization system combining device readings and anomaly detection results: the Security in Process System. To further support analysts I developed an application agnostic framework that supports the integration of knowledge assistance and applied it to the Security in Process System. I present this Knowledge Rocks Framework, its application and the results of evaluations for both, the original and the knowledge assisted Security in Process System. For all presented systems, I provide implementation details, illustrations and applications.
Multi-Field Visualization
(2011)
Modern science utilizes advanced measurement and simulation techniques to analyze phenomena from fields such as medicine, physics, or mechanics. The data produced by application of these techniques takes the form of multi-dimensional functions or fields, which have to be processed in order to provide meaningful parts of the data to domain experts. Definition and implementation of such processing techniques with the goal to produce visual representations of portions of the data are topic of research in scientific visualization or multi-field visualization in the case of multiple fields. In this thesis, we contribute novel feature extraction and visualization techniques that are able to convey data from multiple fields created by scientific simulations or measurements. Furthermore, our scalar-, vector-, and tensor field processing techniques contribute to scattered field processing in general and introduce novel ways of analyzing and processing tensorial quantities such as strain and displacement in flow fields, providing insights into field topology. We introduce novel mesh-free extraction techniques for visualization of complex-valued scalar fields in acoustics that aid in understanding wave topology in low frequency sound simulations. The resulting structures represent regions with locally minimal sound amplitude and convey wave node evolution and sound cancellation in time-varying sound pressure fields, which is considered an important feature in acoustics design. Furthermore, methods for flow field feature extraction are presented that facilitate analysis of velocity and strain field properties by visualizing deformation of infinitesimal Lagrangian particles and macroscopic deformation of surfaces and volumes in flow. The resulting adaptive manifolds are used to perform flow field segmentation which supports multi-field visualization by selective visualization of scalar flow quantities. The effects of continuum displacement in scattered moment tensor fields can be studied by a novel method for multi-field visualization presented in this thesis. The visualization method demonstrates the benefit of clustering and separate views for the visualization of multiple fields.
Collaboration aims to increase the efficiency of problem solving and decision making by bringing diverse areas of expertise together, i.e., teams of experts from various disciplines, all necessary to come up with acceptable concepts. This dissertation is concerned with the design of highly efficient computer-supported collaborative work involving active participation of user groups with diverse expertise. Three main contributions can be highlighted: (1) the definition and design of a framework facilitating collaborative decision making; (2) the deployment and evaluation of more natural and intuitive interaction and visualization techniques in order to support multiple decision makers in virtual reality environments; and (3) the integration of novel techniques into a single proof-of-concept system.
Decision making processes are time-consuming, typically involving several iterations of different options before a generally acceptable solution is obtained. Although, collaboration is an often-applied method, the execution of collaborative sessions is often inefficient, does not involve all participants, and decisions are often finalized with- out the agreement of all participants. An increasing number of computer-supported cooperative work systems (CSCW) facilitate collaborative work by providing shared viewpoints and tools to solve joint tasks. However, most of these software systems are designed from a feature-oriented perspective, rather than a human-centered perspective and without the consideration of user groups with diverse experience and joint goals instead of joint tasks. The aim of this dissertation is to bring insights to the following research question: How can computer-supported cooperative work be designed to be more efficient? This question opens up more specific questions like: How can collaborative work be designed to be more efficient? How can all participants be involved in the collaboration process? And how can interaction interfaces that support collaborative work be designed to be more efficient? As such, this dissertation makes contributions in:
1. Definition and design of a framework facilitating decision making and collaborative work. Based on examinations of collaborative work and decision making processes requirements of a collaboration framework are assorted and formulated. Following, an approach to define and rate software/frameworks is introduced. This approach is used to translate the assorted requirements into a software’s architecture design. Next, an approach to evaluate alternatives based on Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and Multi Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) is presented. Two case studies demonstrate the usability of this approach for (1) benchmarking between systems and evaluates the value of the desired collaboration framework, and (2) ranking a set of alternatives resulting from a decision-making process incorporating the points of view of multiple stake- holders.
2. Deployment and evaluation of natural and intuitive interaction and visualization techniques in order to support multiple diverse decision makers. A user taxonomy of industrial corporations serves to create a petri network of users in order to identify dependencies and information flows between each other. An explicit characterization and design of task models was developed to define interfaces and further components of the collaboration framework. In order to involve and support user groups with diverse experiences, smart de- vices and virtual reality are used within the presented collaboration framework. Natural and intuitive interaction techniques as well as advanced visualizations of user centered views of the collaboratively processed data are developed in order to support and increase the efficiency of decision making processes. The smartwatch as one of the latest technologies of smart devices, offers new possibilities of interaction techniques. A multi-modal interaction interface is provided, realized with smartwatch and smartphone in full immersive environments, including touch-input, in-air gestures, and speech.
3. Integration of novel techniques into a single proof-of-concept system. Finally, all findings and designed components are combined into the new collaboration framework called IN2CO, for distributed or co-located participants to efficiently collaborate using diverse mobile devices. In a prototypical implementation, all described components are integrated and evaluated. Examples where next-generation network-enabled collaborative environments, connected by visual and mobile interaction devices, can have significant impact are: design and simulation of automobiles and aircrafts; urban planning and simulation of urban infrastructure; or the design of complex and large buildings, including efficiency- and cost-optimized manufacturing buildings as task in factory planning. To demonstrate the functionality and usability of the framework, case studies referring to factory planning are demonstrated. Considering that factory planning is a process that involves the interaction of multiple aspects as well as the participation of experts from different domains (i.e., mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, ergonomics, material science, and even more), this application is suitable to demonstrate the utilization and usability of the collaboration framework. The various software modules and the integrated system resulting from the research will all be subjected to evaluations. Thus, collaborative decision making for co-located and distributed participants is enhanced by the use of natural and intuitive multi-modal interaction interfaces and techniques.
Today’s digital world would be unthinkable without complex data sets. Whether in private, business or industrial environments, complex data provide the basis for important and critical decisions and determine many processes, some of which are automated. This is often associated with Big Data. However, often only one aspect of the usual Big Data definitions is sufficient and a human observer can no longer capture the data completely and correctly. In this thesis, different approaches are presented in order to master selected challenges in a more effective, efficient and userfriendly way. The approaches range from easier pre-processing of data sets for later analysis and the identification of design guidelines of such assistants, new visualization techniques for presenting uncertainty, extensions of existing visualizations for categorical data, concepts for time-saving selection methods for subsets of data points and faster navigation and zoom interaction–especially in the web-based area with enormous amounts of data–to new and innovative orientation-based interaction metaphors for mobile devices as well as stationary working environments. Evaluations and appropriate use case of the individual approaches show the usability also in comparison with state-of-the-art techniques.
Due to the steadily growing flood of data, the appropriate use of visualizations for efficient data analysis is as important today as it has never been before. In many application domains, the data flood is based on processes that can be represented by node-link diagrams. Within such a diagram, nodes may represent intermediate results (or products), system states (or snapshots), milestones or real (and possibly georeferenced) objects, while links (edges) can embody transition conditions, transformation processes or real physical connections. Inspired by the engineering sciences application domain and the research project “SinOptiKom: Cross-sectoral optimization of transformation processes in municipal infrastructures in rural areas”, a platform for the analysis of transformation processes has been researched and developed based on a geographic information system (GIS). Caused by the increased amount of available and interesting data, a particular challenge is the simultaneous visualization of several visible attributes within one single diagram instead of using multiple ones. Therefore, two approaches have been developed, which utilize the available space between nodes in a diagram to display additional information.
Motivated by the necessity of appropriate result communication with various stakeholders, a concept for a universal, dashboard-based analysis platform has been developed. This web-based approach is conceptually capable of displaying data from various data sources and has been supplemented by collaboration possibilities such as sharing, annotating and presenting features.
In order to demonstrate the applicability and usability of newly developed applications, visualizations or user interfaces, extensive evaluations with human users are often inevitable. To reduce the complexity and the effort for conducting an evaluation, the browser-based evaluation framework (BREF) has been designed and implemented. Through its universal and flexible character, virtually any visualization or interaction running in the browser can be evaluated with BREF without any additional application (except for a modern web browser) on the target device. BREF has already proved itself in a wide range of application areas during the development and has since grown into a comprehensive evaluation tool.
The noise issue in manufacturing system is widely discussed from legal and health aspects. Regarding the existing laws and guidelines, various investigation methods are implemented in industry. The sound pressure level can be measured and reduced by using established approaches in reality. However, a straightforward and low cost approach to study noise issue using existing digital factory models is not found.
This thesis attempts to develop a novel concept for sound pressure level investigation in a virtual environment. With this, the factory planners are able to investigate the noise issue during factory design and layout planning phase.
Two computer aided tools are used in this approach: acoustic simulation and virtual reality (VR). The former enables the planner to simulate the sound pressure level by given factory layout and facility sound features. And the latter provides a visualization environment to view and explore the simulation results. The combination of these two powerful tools provides the planners a new possibility to analyze the noise in a factory.
To validate the simulations, the acoustic measurements are implemented in a real factory. Sound pressure level and sound intensity are determined respectively. Furthermore, a software tool is implemented using the introduced concept and approach. With this software, the simulation results are represented in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE).
This thesis describes the development of the approach, the measurement of sound features, the design of visualization framework, and the implementation of VR software. Based on this know-how, the industry users are able to design their own method and software for noise investigation and analysis.