SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “software visualization”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 487 records · Page 27

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1991

Data systems and computer science programs: Overview

An external review of the Integrated Technology Plan for the Civil Space Program is presented. The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: onboard memory and storage technology; advanced flight computers; special purpose flight processors; onboard networking and testbeds; information archive, access, and retrieval; visualization; neural networks; software engineering; and flight control and operations.

Smith, Paul H.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Introduction to the LaRC central scientific computing complex

The computers and associated equipment that make up the Central Scientific Computing Complex of the Langley Research Center are briefly described. The electronic networks that provide access to the various components of the complex and a number of areas that can be used by Langley and contractors staff for special applications (scientific visualization, image processing, software engineering, and grid generation) are also described. Flight simulation facilities that use the central computers are described. Management of the complex, procedures for its use, and available services and resources are discussed. This document is intended for new users of the complex, for current users who wish to keep appraised of changes, and for visitors who need to understand the role of central scientific computers at Langley.

Shoosmith, John N.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Data Understanding Applied to Optimization

The goal of this research is to explore and develop software for supporting visualization and data analysis of search and optimization. Optimization is an ever-present problem in science. The theory of NP-completeness implies that the problems can only be resolved by increasingly smarter problem specific knowledge, possibly for use in some general purpose algorithms. Visualization and data analysis offers an opportunity to accelerate our understanding of key computational bottlenecks in optimization and to automatically tune aspects of the computation for specific problems. We will prototype systems to demonstrate how data understanding can be successfully applied to problems characteristic of NASA's key science optimization tasks, such as central tasks for parallel processing, spacecraft scheduling, and data transmission from a remote satellite.

Buntine, Wray↗

NASA NTRS1994

FAST User Guide

The Flow Analysis Software Toolkit, FAST, is a software environment for visualizing data. FAST is a collection of separate programs (modules) that run simultaneously and allow the user to examine the results of numerical and experimental simulations. The user can load data files, perform calculations on the data, visualize the results of these calculations, construct scenes of 3D graphical objects, and plot, animate and record the scenes. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) visualization is the primary intended use of FAST, but FAST can also assist in the analysis of other types of data. FAST combines the capabilities of such programs as PLOT3D, RIP, SURF, and GAS into one environment with modules that share data. Sharing data between modules eliminates the drudgery of transferring data between programs. All the modules in the FAST environment have a consistent, highly interactive graphical user interface. Most commands are entered by pointing and'clicking. The modular construction of FAST makes it flexible and extensible. The environment can be custom configured and new modules can be developed and added as needed. The following modules have been developed for FAST: VIEWER, FILE IO, CALCULATOR, SURFER, TOPOLOGY, PLOTTER, TITLER, TRACER, ARCGRAPH, GQ, SURFERU, SHOTET, and ISOLEVU. A utility is also included to make the inclusion of user defined modules in the FAST environment easy. The VIEWER module is the central control for the FAST environment. From VIEWER, the user can-change object attributes, interactively position objects in three-dimensional space, define and save scenes, create animations, spawn new FAST modules, add additional view windows, and save and execute command scripts. The FAST User Guide uses text and FAST MAPS (graphical representations of the entire user interface) to guide the user through the use of FAST. Chapters include: Maps, Overview, Tips, Getting Started Tutorial, a separate chapter for each module, file formats, and system administration.

Walatka, Pamela P.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Downsizing Visualization Platforms: From Crays to Indigos and Beyond

Despite its increasingly negative connotation in other domains, "downsizing" is a positive trend as it applies to the computer hardware necessary to perform scientific visualization. In this talk, we will consider how the visualization of a particular data set, the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) derived from the Viking Orbiter imagery, has been realized in three distinct projects over the past decade. These examples serve to demonstrate how the vast improvements in computational performance both decrease the cost of such visualization efforts, and permit an increasing level of interactivity. We then consider how even today's graphical systems require the visualization designer to make intelligent choices and trade-offs in database rendering. Finally, we discuss how insights from an understanding of human visual perception can guide these design decisions, and suggest new options for visualization hardware and software.

Kaiser, Mary K.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Simulation of Rotary-Wing Near-Wake Vortex Structures Using Navier-Stokes CFD Methods

This paper will use high-resolution Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to model the near-wake vortex roll-up behind rotor blades. The locations and strengths of the trailing vortices will be determined from newly-developed visualization and analysis software tools applied to the CFD solutions. Computational results for rotor nearwake vortices will be used to study the near-wake vortex roll up for highly-twisted tiltrotor blades. These rotor blades typically have combinations of positive and negative spanwise loading and complex vortex wake interactions. Results of the computational studies will be compared to vortex-lattice wake models that are frequently used in rotorcraft comprehensive codes. Information from these comparisons will be used to improve the rotor wake models in the Tilt-Rotor Acoustic Code (TRAC) portion of NASA's Short Haul Civil Transport program (SHCT). Accurate modeling of the rotor wake is an important part of this program and crucial to the successful design of future civil tiltrotor aircraft. The rotor wake system plays an important role in blade-vortex interaction noise, a major problem for all rotorcraft including tiltrotors.

Kenwright, David↗

NASA NTRS2004

Meshing, Visualization, and Computational Environments

There was probably no higher profile application of meshing, visualization, and computational software this past year than that performed in support of the space shuttle's Return to Flight activities. After heavy use of simulation during the accident investigation, these same tools are now helping address safety and operational issues. In turn, these applications are raising the bar for computational tools in terms of simulation fidelity and turnaround time.

Chawner, John R.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Improvement in Visual Target Tracking for a Mobile Robot

In an improvement of the visual-target-tracking software used aboard a mobile robot (rover) of the type used to explore the Martian surface, an affine-matching algorithm has been replaced by a combination of a normalized- cross-correlation (NCC) algorithm and a template-image-magnification algorithm. Although neither NCC nor template-image magnification is new, the use of both of them to increase the degree of reliability with which features can be matched is new. In operation, a template image of a target is obtained from a previous rover position, then the magnification of the template image is based on the estimated change in the target distance from the previous rover position to the current rover position (see figure). For this purpose, the target distance at the previous rover position is determined by stereoscopy, while the target distance at the current rover position is calculated from an estimate of the current pose of the rover. The template image is then magnified by an amount corresponding to the estimated target distance to obtain a best template image to match with the image acquired at the current rover position.

Kim, Won↗

NASA NTRS2005

Tool for Viewing Faults Under Terrain

Multi Surface Light Table (MSLT) is an interactive software tool that was developed in support of the QuakeSim project, which has created an earthquake- fault database and a set of earthquake- simulation software tools. MSLT visualizes the three-dimensional geometries of faults embedded below the terrain and animates time-varying simulations of stress and slip. The fault segments, represented as rectangular surfaces at dip angles, are organized into collections, that is, faults. An interface built into MSLT queries and retrieves fault definitions from the QuakeSim fault database. MSLT also reads time-varying output from one of the QuakeSim simulation tools, called "Virtual California." Stress intensity is represented by variations in color. Slips are represented by directional indicators on the fault segments. The magnitudes of the slips are represented by the duration of the directional indicators in time. The interactive controls in MSLT provide a virtual track-ball, pan and zoom, translucency adjustment, simulation playback, and simulation movie capture. In addition, geographical information on the fault segments and faults is displayed on text windows. Because of the extensive viewing controls, faults can be seen in relation to one another, and to the terrain. These relations can be realized in simulations. Correlated slips in parallel faults are visible in the playback of Virtual California simulations.

Siegel, Herbert, L.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Some Observations on the Current Status of Performing Finite Element Analyses

Aerospace structures are complex high-performance structures. Advances in reliable and efficient computing and modeling tools are enabling analysts to consider complex configurations, build complex finite element models, and perform analysis rapidly. Many of the early career engineers of today are very proficient in the usage of modern computers, computing engines, complex software systems, and visualization tools. These young engineers are becoming increasingly efficient in building complex 3D models of complicated aerospace components. However, the current trends demonstrate blind acceptance of the results of the finite element analysis results. This paper is aimed at raising an awareness of this situation. Examples of the common encounters are presented. To overcome the current trends, some guidelines and suggestions for analysts, senior engineers, and educators are offered.

Raju, Ivatury S.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dynamic Mode Decomposition of Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint Measurements for the NASA Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel Tests

This paper describes the Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) of the pressures on the scale model of the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1 cargo vehicle with the Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint (uPSP) measurements, which were collected in the Ascent Transient Aerodynamics Tests with the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel 11-by-11-foot Transonic Wind Tunnel in September 2019 at NASA Ames Research Center. The work described in this paper is a part of NASA’s development of a new state-of-the-art uPSP capability in production wind tunnels. The conventional DMD algorithm is based on the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of the data matrix. For the matrix of the uPSP measurements of the SLS ATAT, the number of rows is equal to the number of nodes in the grid of the scale model, and the number of columns is equal to the number of frames in the videos taken with 4 Phantom high-speed cameras. In this paper, it is verified that, for the time series with zero mean value, the DMD is equivalent to the decomposition with the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). Considering the uPSP is mainly used in the assessment of the unsteady, aerodynamic phenomena, the DMD of the uPSP measurements can be implemented in two steps: (1) subtract the mean value from the uPSP measurement on each of the grid nodes; (2) apply the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the resulting zero-mean time series. The DMD of the uPSP measurements with FFT has two advantages: (1) the computational complexity of FFT is O(N*logN), where N is the length of the time series; (2) compared to the SVD-based DMD algorithm, the DMD with FFT can be easily implemented in parallel processing. A sample matrix of uPSP measurements, at the size of 341 grid nodes and 128 frames, is generated. Figures 1 and 2 show the eigenvalues and the ratios of the eigenvectors, respectively, of the sample matrix, without and with the mean value removed on each of the grid nodes, computed with the SVD-based DMD and the FFT. The figures demonstrate the equivalence of the SVD-based DMD and the decomposition with DFT/FFT for the time series with zero mean value. The results of DMD of the uPSP measurements of the SLS ATAT in September 2019 are presented in the paper. The DMD modes at different frequencies are shown, the aerodynamic phenomena (e.g. shockwave and vortex shedding) are demonstrated and the correlation of the DMD modes with the test configuration parameter (e.g., the Mach Number) is discussed. Figure 3 shows a software tool to visualize the DMD modes. The code to implement the algorithm described in this paper was written in C, with libraries of FFTW for FFT and MPI/OpenMP for parallel processing, and executed on the NASA Pleiades supercomputer. Funding for this research was provided by the NASA Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities Project.

Pressure-Sensitive Paint↗

NASA NTRS2023

Full Lunar Surface Visualization and Simulation Platform

This project created a visualization and simulation software platform for the entire lunar surface. Given the polar Artemis landing targets, the challenging terrain, lighting, and associated integrated crew / vehicle risk assessment, a more integrated approach to mission safety certification, potentially impacting equipment design and crew activity is required. This integrated capability will enable Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA), Flight Operations (FOD), and EVA to effectively collaborate to reduce human lunar exploration operational risk utilizing the identical tools to perform mission planning, rehearsal simulations, and providing the Safety Review Panel with integrated risk analysis capability.

information fusion↗

NASA NTRS2006

LiveView3D: Real Time Data Visualization for the Aerospace Testing Environment

This paper addresses LiveView3D, a software package and associated data visualization system for use in the aerospace testing environment. The LiveView3D system allows researchers to graphically view data from numerous wind tunnel instruments in real time in an interactive virtual environment. The graphical nature of the LiveView3D display provides researchers with an intuitive view of the measurement data, making it easier to interpret the aerodynamic phenomenon under investigation. LiveView3D has been developed at the NASA Langley Research Center and has been applied in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT). This paper discusses the capabilities of the LiveView3D system, provides example results from its application in the UPWT, and outlines features planned for future implementation.

Schwartz, Richard J.↗

NASA NTRS2011

User Centered, Application Independent Visualization of National Airspace Data

This paper describes an application independent software tool, IV4D, built to visualize animated and still 3D National Airspace System (NAS) data specifically for aeronautics engineers who research aggregate, as well as single, flight efficiencies and behavior. IV4D was origin ally developed in a joint effort between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (A FRL) to support the visualization of air traffic data from the Airspa ce Concept Evaluation System (ACES) simulation program. The three mai n challenges tackled by IV4D developers were: 1) determining how to d istill multiple NASA data formats into a few minimal dataset types; 2 ) creating an environment, consisting of a user interface, heuristic algorithms, and retained metadata, that facilitates easy setup and fa st visualization; and 3) maximizing the user?s ability to utilize the extended range of visualization available with AFRL?s existing 3D te chnologies. IV4D is currently being used by air traffic management re searchers at NASA?s Ames and Langley Research Centers to support data visualizations.

Murphy, James R.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Visual System for Browsing, Analysis, and Retrieval of Data (ViSBARD)

ViSBARD software provides a way of visualizing multiple vector and scalar quantities as measured by many spacecraft at once. The data are displayed three-dimensionally along the orbits that may be shown either as connected lines or as points. The data display allows the rapid determination of vector configurations, correlations among many measurements at multiple points, and global relationships. Things such as vector field rotations and dozens of simultaneous variables are very difficult to see in (complementary) panel plot representations. The current and next generations of space physics missions require a means to display from tens to hundreds of time series of data in such a way that the mind can comprehend them for the purposes of browsing data, retrieving them in directly useful form, and analyzing them in a global context. Sets of many spacecraft, each carrying many instruments yielding nearly continuous data at high time resolution, have become one of the most effective ways to make progress in understanding the extended, ionized (plasma) atmosphere of the Earth and the Sun. For large collections of data to be effective, they must be extremely readily accessible, with simple, comprehensible overviews of what is available. ViSBARD provides a means to answer these concerns. The ViSBARD package also acts as a remote repository browser; an interface to a Virtual Observatory. Therefore, data can be pulled directly into the application, as opposed to searching for it and downloading separately.

Roberts, Aaron↗

NASA NTRS2000

Large-scale visualization of digital sky surveys

Designed and developed within JPL/Caltech's supercomputing and visualization environment, the virtual observatory software described in this paper permits high performance visualization and analysis of large sky images and catalogs.

sky survey↗

NASA NTRS1994

Data Visualization and Animation Lab (DVAL): Applications

A wide variety of software tools has been successfully used to visualize, analyze and present computational and experimental data at Langley Research Center. These tools can be categorized according to five primary uses: (1) 2-D image analysis, (2) conventional 3-D visualization, (3) volume visualization, (4) photo-realistic rendering, or (5) special purpose applications. Software is accessible in each of these categories for Langley personnel, and training or consultation can be arranged with the Data Visualization and Animation laboratory staff.

Severance, Kurt↗

NASA NTRS2008

Volume Averaged Height Integrated Radar Reflectivity (VAHIRR) Cost-Benefit Analysis

Lightning Launch Commit Criteria (LLCC) are designed to prevent space launch vehicles from flight through environments conducive to natural or triggered lightning and are used for all U.S. government and commercial launches at government and civilian ranges. They are maintained by a committee known as the NASA/USAF Lightning Advisory Panel (LAP). The previous LLCC for anvil cloud, meant to avoid triggered lightning, have been shown to be overly restrictive. Some of these rules have had such high safety margins that they prohibited flight under conditions that are now thought to be safe 90% of the time, leading to costly launch delays and scrubs. The LLCC for anvil clouds was upgraded in the summer of 2005 to incorporate results from the Airborne Field Mill (ABFM) experiment at the Eastern Range (ER). Numerous combinations of parameters were considered to develop the best correlation of operational weather observations to in-cloud electric fields capable of rocket triggered lightning in anvil clouds. The Volume Averaged Height Integrated Radar Reflectivity (VAHIRR) was the best metric found. Dr. Harry Koons of Aerospace Corporation conducted a risk analysis of the VAHIRR product. The results indicated that the LLCC based on the VAHIRR product would pose a negligible risk of flying through hazardous electric fields. Based on these findings, the Kennedy Space Center Weather Office is considering seeking funding for development of an automated VAHIRR algorithm for the new ER 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS) RadTec 431250 weather radar and Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radars. Before developing an automated algorithm, the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) was tasked to determine the frequency with which VAHIRR would have allowed a launch to safely proceed during weather conditions otherwise deemed "red" by the Launch Weather Officer. To do this, the AMU manually calculated VAHIRR values based on candidate cases from past launches with known anvil cloud LLCC violations. An automated algorithm may be developed if the analyses from past launches show VAHIRR would have provided a significant cost benefit by allowing a launch to proceed. The 45 WS at the ER and 30th Weather Squadron (30 WS) at the Western Range provided the AMU with launch weather summaries from past launches that were impacted by LLCC. The 45 WS provided summaries from 14 launch attempts and the 30 WS fkom 5. The launch attempts occurred between December 2001 and June 2007. These summaries helped the AMU determine when the LLCC were "red" due to anvil cloud. The AMU collected WSR-88D radar reflectivity, cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, soundings and satellite imagery. The AMU used step-by-step instructions for calculating VAHIRR manually as provided by the 45 WS. These instructions were used for all of the candidate cases when anvil cloud caused an LLCC violation identified in the launch weather summaries. The AMU evaluated several software programs capable of visualizing radar data so that VAHIRR could be calculated and chose GR2Analyst from Gibson Ridge Software, LLC. Data availability and lack of detail from some launch weather summaries permitted analysis of six launch attempts from the ER and none from the WR. The AMU did not take into account whether or not other weather LCC violations were occurring at the same time as the anvil cloud LLCC since the goal of this task was to determine how often VAHIRR provided relief to the anvil cloud LLCC at any time during several previous launch attempts. Therefore, in the statistics presented in this report, it is possible that even though VAHIRR provided relief to the anvil cloud LLCC, other weather LCC could have been violated not permitting the launch to proceed. The results of this cost-benefit analysis indicated VAHIRR provided relief from the anvil cloud LLCC between about 15% and 18% of the time for varying 5-minute time periods based on summaries fkom six launch attempts and would have allowed launch to proceed that were otherwise "NO GO" due to the anvil cloud LLCC if the T-0 time occurred during the anvil cloud LLCC violations.

Bauman, William H., III↗