Visualization: 
a) we will support visualization by phasing in increasingly flexible capabilities over time.  The key features of application visualization support are currently insightful color display of data values (such as arrows and contours) with geographic map overlay features, editable scripts integrated into the portal workflow system, and output graphics in formats compatible with browser-based remote display (such as PDF).  In the current  portal system, we have implemented disloc-generated surface displacements integrated with a california map with faults, using the open-source GMT application and sending the map in PDF form to the user within an interactive session.  A second application GeoFEST produces a large 3D displacement/stress data set, which has the surface extracted and contoured by the licensed IDL application, producing a PDF file for display within the interactive session.  A third method uses the geoFEST output, a digital elevation map, and landsat imagery.  It uses the RIVA parallel interpolation and rendering system  over many time steps to produce an MPEG animation in the background.  The user is notified by portal-generated email when it is complete, including a URL link for download.

Common features are the use of some visualization application that is script-programmable, wrapping of that system for data input/output and workflow control, and generation of browser-compatible output.  The variety of applications that are now supported include licensed commercial software, open-source widely used software, and NASA research software, representing a very wide scope of types of visualization software that may be included in SERVOgrid.

The future SERVOgrid system must support a richer visualization environment.  An immediate need is the ability to overlay multiple database objects and simulation output details accurately registered within an openGIS mapserver system.  Future needs include support for computational steering, a richer interactive environment, and three-dimensional GIS-like objects and results.  Computational steering requires the ability to subset large data sets, interactively pan and zoom, adjust image parameters like transparency and color table.  The richer environment implies the ability to gain a large fraction of the features and resolution of advanced licensed visualiztaion systems within a remote web environment.  This might be done by identifying rich distributed tools, or by obtaining a specialized visualization environment tightly coupled to the supercomputing location, that is scripted to be remotely controlled by the portal tools and produce subsetted images suitable for web display.