VioNeS - Visual Support for the Analysis of the Next Sub-volume Method

Computational simulation is an established method to gain insight into cellular processes. As the resulting data sets are usually large and complex, visualization can play a significant role in data analysis. In this paper, we focus on the visualization of simulation output from the next sub-volume method, a spatial simulation algorithm. In addition to the spatial context of the simulation output, its heterogeneous data types, multiple variables, and the temporal context make high demands on the visualization. To cope with these challenging characteristics, we systematically explore possible visualization concepts with respect to these characteristics. From these findings, we derive our specific solution to visualize the data from the next sub-volume method, using a framework of multiple coordinated views that emphasize the spatial context of the data. Combining these views with a highly interactive user interface, the user is able to adapt the visualization to his current analysis goals and explore the data in its complexity.