Introduction to Scientific Visualization

Book excerpt: This is a ‘how to’ book for scientific visualization. The book does not treat the subject as a subset of information visualisation, but rather as a subject in its own right. An introduction on the philosophy of the subject sets the scene and the theory of colour perception is introduced. Next, using Brodlie’s taxonomy to underpin its core chapters, it is shown how to classify data. Worked examples are given throughout the text and there are practical ‘sidebars’ for readers with access to the IRIS Explorer software who can try out the demonstrations on an accompanying website. The book concludes with a ‘taster’ of ongoing research.