Scalable Real-Time Visualization Using the Cloud

Visualizing big data is a computationally intensive task that most users undertake on an exploratory basis. The need for scalable computational power coupled with varied usage patterns makes it a strong candidate for cloud computing. With the recent availability of graphics hardware as infrastructure in the cloud it is now realistic to execute interactive visualization remotely as a software service. The authors review software architectures that can deliver cloud-based interactive visualization, highlight the key systems challenges to support this, and predict how scalable computing power in the cloud will make transformative changes to the way visualization is implemented and delivered to users.