Who We Are And What We Do

The Data Analysis and Visualization Center (DAV Center), initiated by the Department of Defense (DoD) High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP), serves the needs of DoD HPCMP scientists to analyze an ever-increasing volume and complexity of data. Our mission is to put visualization and analysis tools and services into the hands of every user.

There are several ways that DAV Center professionals can help you with your visualization and data analysis needs.

First, we provide analysis software packages that support built in HPC job launching GUIs, and the Secure Remote Desktop (SRD). Additionally, this site contains many online tutorials that document use of these resources, designed for novice to power users.

Second, we support users who prefer to do the work themselves, but need our help in using a visualization program, choosing a technique to use, or deciding which program is best for them. This may also involve one of our visualization specialists collaborating in the use of the visualization program to extract data or images that highlight problems with an original computation.

Third, we do custom projects for users with the intent of producing high-quality animations that allow researchers to better communicate their results. This typically involves the creation of narrated movies suitable for your most important presentations. It may also entail the development of conceptual animations to add context to the science.

For example, the three insets shown in Figure 1 demonstrates conceptual animation used to "set the scene" by showing the launch of theater ballistic missiles to be shot down by the Airborne Laser. Figure 2 shows the combination of conceptual images (the combustor can in a gas turbine engine) with the scientific data (the blue vortex rings and the yellow uncombusted fuel droplets).

Team

The DAV Center staff consists of four groups of professionals: visualization scientists, data analysis experts, 3-D animators/designers, and a digital film producer/editor.

Our visualization scientists work with users in a variety of ways. In some cases, we help users help themselves by maintaining DAV Center supported analysis and visualization software featuring easy HPC job launching. In other cases, we help users more directly. This may include helping them develop a custom workflow for data analysis by demonstrating techniques or suggesting software packages better suited for their data analysis and visualization needs. We also offer customized visualization services, such as processing a temporal data set into a scientific animation showing how a phenomenon evolves over time, e.g. height waves in a hurricane.

Our 3-D animators/designers collaborate with the DAV Center visualization scientists and project investigators to produce conceptual animations that add context to the science. This can be in the form of introductory or explanatory animation that is stand-alone or combined with the scientific data.

Our digital film producer/editor works with project investigators to create a scripted storyboard that serves as the plan for the production and communicates the project story. This script guides the animators in the production of the conceptual animations and may include narration if required by the customer. High-speed video footage of experimental testing is often included along with the visualizations and animations to emphasize the real-world importance and relevance of the research.

Contact Us

Email: support@daac.hpc.mil