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Calit2 Unveils First Optical Network Linking

Vizualization3.6.02 - The Calit² Visualization Center at Scripps Institution of Oceanography on March 4 opened its doors to a packed audience of media, industry and university representatives. And after working long hours to get the unprecedented system linking two widescreen (3.2-million-pixel), "immersive" environments via a 44-mile, 2.6 gigabit-per-second optical pipeline, the demonstrations were flawless. The multi-million dollar venture is the world's first such visualization complex dedicated to Earth and ocean sciences. As the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the morning after the Visualization Center launch, "UC San Diego and San Diego State University unveiled a prototype for a scientific network that promises to change the way humans understand, react and adapt to the world around them."

Larry Smarr"As overpowering as the visualization capability is, even more powerful is that it is a shared experience across the San Diego metro area," said Calit² director Larry Smarr (video) , a professor of computer science and engineering at UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering. "We have plans to build this out with optical networks to all of southern California, all of California, linking across the United States and within a year even internationally."

At the dedication ceremony for the permanent visualization center at Scripps' Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) in La Jolla, IGPP director John Orcutt (videodedication video) noted that "the Center takes our ability to visualize and understand huge environmental and other data sets to a new level." The Scripps center is connected to SDSU's Center for Immersive Telecommunications for Global Exchange (C IT Global E), dedicated in January, and Center director Eric Frost (video) participated in the ceremonies via videoconferencing on the big screen.

VizualizationSmarr, Orcutt and Frost all underscored the strong cooperation between academic and industry partners that was required to make the metro-area visualization complex a reality. Senior representatives from SGI, Panoram Technologies, TeraBurst Networks and Cox Communications were on hand, giving demonstrations of the technologies that were required to build the complex linking the center at Scripps to a similar facility at SDSU's Center for Immersive Telecommunications for Global Exchange:

VizualizationThe optically-networked visualization centers allow groups of researchers at both locations to work in real-time on large data sets in the form of 3-D images projected on high-resolution wall-sized screens. Initially, teams at both universities will share data and collaborate on analyzing seismic and climate studies for the High Tech Coast (from Santa Barbara to San Diego); the interior structure of Earth, including its oceans and atmosphere; the variability in California's water supply; fault-related deformation as seen from space; the structure and dynamics of coastlines; and the impact of global warming on Earth's climate.

IGPP director Orcutt, a professor of geophysics at Scripps, led off a series of presentations demonstrating some of the uses of the optically-linked large-screen centers. SDSU's Eric Frost, participating via videoconferencing on the large screen, talked about the revolutionary optical connection and demonstrated how large-scale visualizations running at the SDSU facility could be viewed simultaneously at Scripps-and vice versa. Graham Kent, a Scripps researcher who orchestrated the system's build-out, demonstrated the versatility of the system, including the ability to fly-over or through topographical and other images-even in 3-D.


VizualizationScripps seismologist Frank Vernon (video onevideo two) demonstrated real-time seismic data acquisition and the implications for earthquake hazard response. Debi Kilb (video), a post-doctoral research fellow at IGPP, showed reporters and industry representatives a series of visualizations depicting the magnitude, frequency and scale of earthquakes and aftershocks in southern California. Keeping with the theme, Scripps professor David Sandwell (video) demonstrated the integration and visualization of offshore and onshore topographic data-illustrating his point with images of on and offshore San Diego county, including the topography of the ocean floor.

PresentationCatherine Johnson (video) , also a faculty member at IGPP, navigated the stunning topography of Mars-in 3-D-demonstrating how large-scale visualization can be used to better understand topographic data and geophysics of a distant planet. Then IGPP's Graham Kent (video onevideo two) took the audience on a 3-D tour of Lake Tahoe based on satellite topographic data, and demonstrated the integration of seismic and topographic data.

Also on hand: Fran Berman (video)  , director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC). SDSC, located on the UCSD campus, is the network access point for the optical link between Scripps and SDSU. Berman stated that the supercomputer center will both support and use the Visualization Center, providing new capabilities for analysis of large geographic data sets by its Data and Knowledge Group.meeting "This is one of the best tools to visualize immense amounts of data, which then has to be analyzed and synthesized and made into knowledge that is usable for all of us," said Berman during the dedication ceremony. "We know how important this project is and we're delighted to be part of it." Also speaking at the dedication and launch of the link between the two universities: the Dean of SDSU's College of Sciences. "The Visualization Center is a project of magnificent proportion and almost limitless applications," said Thomas Scott (video) . "It represents the best of collaboration, bringing together three large universities and four major corporations to redefine the manner in which we communicate with one another." Earlier, Scott said he sees "this link across San Diego eventually expanding across California-and someday the world."

Charlie Kennel (video)  , director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, highlighted the role of visualization in shortening the time between scientific discovery and useful applications. "The marriage of information technology and visual processing is going to lead to new insights in science," said Kennel. "Not only are we creating a system that is continuously aware of the Earth's processes, but it's a system that will make human beings continuously aware of those processes."

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At the conclusion of the dedication ceremonies, SGI's Silverman took a moment to present a plaque to Calit² director Smarr. It was inscribed with the words:

"In appreciation for the commitment by Calit² to the vision that inspired the implementation of Optically Linked Immersive Visualization Centers. Leading the way to the next generation of collaborative tools."

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