PIGS—A system for programming with interactive graphical support

This paper describes an implementation of a system for programming using structured charts with interactive graphical support. It provides a graphical editor for the user to interactively build and edit programs using Nassi-Shneiderman diagrams (NSD)¹ as the structured control constructs of logic flow. It can interpret a program in NSD chart form, and the execution sequence of the NSD is displayed at a graphical terminal. On-line debugging and testing facilities are available which allow the user to examine and modify the program under execution. The system has been designed with the aim of supporting the development, debugging, testing, documentation and maintenance of programs in the same environment.     

An economical tonal display for interactive graphics and image analysis data

The use of tonal displays in image analysis and interactive graphics has always dictated the use of expensive refresh memories for the display output device. This has involved the use of high speed digital drums, multiple head discs, and analog storage tubes. Recently, the introduction of very long shift registers has allowed the designer to consider their use for refresh memories. A prototype display using 1024 bit MOS static shift registers has been developed. It has been shown that a reasonable cost versus performance tradeoff can be obtained. The first efforts has resulted in a 128 × 128 × 4 bit (64k) memory; it is now in the process of being expanded to 256 × 256 × 8 bits (512k). This memory is cost competitive with digital disc memories and both cost and performance competitive with storage tube scan converters.     

Geographically weighted visualization: interactive graphics for scale-varying exploratory analysis

We introduce a series of geographically weighted (GW) interactive graphics, or geowigs, and use them to explore spatial relationships at a range of scales. We visually encode information about geographic and statistical proximity and variation in novel ways through gw-choropleth maps, multivariate gw-boxplots, gw-shading and scalograms. The new graphic types reveal information about GW statistics at several scales concurrently. We impement these views in prototype software containing dynamic links and GW interactions that encourage exploration and refine them to consider directional geographies. An informal evaluation uses interactive GW techniques to consider Guerry's dataset of 'moral statistics', casting doubt on correlations originally proposed through visual analysis, revealing new local anomalies and suggesting multivariate geographic relationships. Few attempts at visually synthesising geography with multivariate statistical values at multiple scales have been reported. The geowigs proposed here provide informative representations of multivariate local variation, particularly when combined with interactions that coordinate views and result in gw-shading. We argue that they are widely applicable to area and point-based geographic data and provide a set of methods to support visual analysis using GW statistics through which the effects of geography can be explored at multiple scales.     

APL continuous system modelling program: an interactive simulation language

APL continuous system modelling program (APL-CSMP) is an APL based compiler and simulator system that enables the user to define and execute mathematical equations which may contain certain predefined mathematical functions and special operation blocks, supplied by APL-CSMP. Facilities allowing definition and changing of parametric data, end conditions, error bounds for computations, selection of the integration method, and control of the display of the results produced by the simulation run can also be included within the model. The source language has a syntax very similar to that of CSMP-III. Models are directly entered via the APL terminal in the form of mathematical equations and analysed by a compiler. The result of the compilation is a set of automatically generated APL functions incorporating an APL program equivalent to the model.     

Some implementation issues relating to data structures for interactive graphics

This is a tutorial paper describing the relationship between the data structure and the rest of an interactive graphics system. The distinction between data structures and storage structures is emphasized, as is the problem of data structure segmentation. The implementation of typical graphical applications is described, along with analysis of various tradeoff decisions. Finally, some high-level data structure specification languages are discussed.This research was partially sponsored by the National Science Foundation, grant number GJ-28401X.     

Visualizing chemical data in the internet-data-driven and interactive graphics

Chemistry faces interesting problems with regard to internet-based information visualization, especially in the context of digital library documents with multimedia components. We have developed a number of methods and applications ranging from the automatic generation of 2D structure sketches to 3D volume interactive visualization of molecular data with iso-surfaces and other 3D visualization techniques. This article gives an overview about these techniques and their potential for digital publishing and information indexing.     

An interactive/graphics software system for function minimization

An interactive/graphics based software package for solving unconstrained function minimization problems is described. The intent of the package (called INTEROPT) is to provide a computing environment which properly matches the experimental nature of the function minimization problem. A number of multidimensional minimization algorithms are provided for the user, together with a number of linear search algorithms. Through a simple command language, the user is able to make selections from among the available options and to specify values for the various parameters which control the program execution. This dialog is carried out with the user on a graphics CRT screen. Various types of graphical output are available in INTEROPT both to assist the user in evaluating the progress of the minimization trial and to enable him to interact with it, if he so chooses. The INTEROPT system also includes provisions for the interior penalty function approach to handling problems with constraints. The package therefore has a wide range of applicability.     

Statistical analysis and graphical display of multivariate data on the Macintosh

Two Macintosh programs written for multivariate data analysis and multivariate data graphical display are presented. MacMul includes principal component analysis (PCA), correspondence analysis (CA) and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), with a complete, original and unified set of numerical aids to interpretation. GraphMu is designed for drawing collections of elementary graphics (curves, maps, graphical models) thus allowing comparisons between variables, individuals, and principal axes planes of multivariate methods. Both programs are self-documented applications and make full use of the user-oriented graphical interface of the Macintosh to simplify the process of analysing data sets. An example is described to show the results obtained on a small ecological data set.     

The system design for GALATEA,an interactive real-time computer graphics system for movie and video analysis

The extraction of information from movie film and videotape has always been a very tedious process. Yet the usefulness of these media in biomedical research, behavioral science, industrial testing, etc., is apparent. We are developing a system, GALATEA, for the rapid extraction of data from film or video using interactive graphics. The key aspects of GALATEA are: the user indicates what features are of interest using an x, y digitizing pen. These pen positions are the only data the system sees, so that full digital image encoding is avoided. The user can trace the features while the film runs (frame-by-frame analysis is not necessary). The user has constant feedback in the form of an animated, computer-generated movie (Kinegram), overlaid on the original film image and running synchronously with it. It is this kinetic feedback of the data entered that makes the system efficient. Structured programming, real-time programming techniques, data structures for time-dependent pictures and dynamical graphics ‘tools’ are covered. A detailed discussion is given of Slippage or soft degradation in real-time systems under fluctuating load conditions.     

A support system for interactive languages

The implementation of a support system for interactive languages is described, which include a controlling routine, a macro processor, lexical and syntactic analysis routines, semantic actions, error handling and analysis, log and code generation routines. There are also utility programs for generating the state tables for the syntax analysis. By using a structured programming approach these routines have been developed very quickly, but can still be developed and enhanced due to a well-defined working environment, a simple approach to coding and reasonable internal documentation.     

An interactive graphics system for 2-D drawing and design

This paper is about a software system, GRASS-Graphic Software System for 2-D drawing and design—which has been implemented on a $\text{PDP}\text{-}\text{11}\text{35}$ system with RSX-11M operating system. It is a low cost interactive graphics system for the design of two dimensional drawings and uses a minimum of hardware. It provides comprehensive facilities for creating, editing, storing and retrieving pictures. It has been implemented in the language Pascal and has the potential to be used as a powerful data-imputting tool for a design-automation system. The important features of the system are its low cost, software character generation and a user-trainable character recognizer, which has been included.     

Application of three-dimensional interactive graphics in X-ray crystallographic analysis

A program called XpY was written for the PDP-10/LDS-1 at the Princeton University Computer Graphics Laboratory, for generating and displaying models of dinucleoside phosphates. The molecule GpC, a member of this class and a fragment of the nucleic acid RNA, was subjected to X-ray diffraction analysis.The paper describes the importance of model building in X-ray analysis, and shows step by step how XpY was used to deduce the atomic coordinates of GpC from the experimental data. The program documentation is also included as an Appendix.A subjective critique of graphics is made in the Conclusions section.     

A fuzzy rule-based interactive fusion system for seismic data analysis

The study presented in this paper concerns an interactive fusion system that uses the fuzzy set theory to detect regions in three-dimensional seismic images. To achieve detection of regions in 3D seismic images, attributes extracted from images are fused using geophysicist interpreter knowledge by means of a fuzzy rule-based classifier. The original contribution of this work lies in the means proposed to the end-user for tuning the fuzzy membership functions in a two-dimensional universe for particular 2D reference image sections. The proposed graphic user interface allows to obtain a better region detection compared with the detection obtained without fusion. Moreover, a confidence index, based on information theory concepts, is introduced. This index is based on a coefficient of attribute influence and provides some elucidation on how the fusion results have been obtained.     

Data management for an interactive graphics system oriented to planning applications

INTRANS is a man-computer interactive graphics system, intended for analysis of urban and transportation planning problems. It is designed to operate primarily under time sharing on IBM 360/370 computers. The paper describes the functional design and the structure of the data management of INTRANS.

The data management is designed to answer the specific needs of planning applications: large data-sets, comparative analysis of several alternatives, and interface with batch processing computer programs. At the same time, the system is designed to operate within an environment of extremely limited resources of core and computing time.     

Boylegraphics: An application of a graphics data base management system

A Graphics Data Base Management System is developed for use with computerized Master Plans of Drainage and Storm Water Plans. The Storm Water Plans are prepared according to particular governing agency specifications involving multiple hydrologic and hydraulic modeling options, integrated into a single software package. Data bases are prepared for graphical representation of streets, land uses, hydrologic soil groups, rainfall, master plan system elements, topographic, and other data, as well as computational results developed from the Master Plan of Drainage computer model. Two applications are available; an integrated package enabling editing and upgrading of the Master Plan, and another package designed to publish and distribute the Graphics and the Master Plan of Drainage data bases to the public in an access-only data base retrieval environment. The opportunities provided by such public information programs are significant, in that the entire Master Plan becomes available to the public in an easy-to-read and easy-to-use environment. The public therefore becomes an integral and important member of the Master Plan team, exchanging input and easing the way for acceptance of the project.     

Segue: support for distributed graphical interfaces

The authors describe their experiences developing Segue, an interface tool for supporting application programs that manipulate tree-like data structures. This semantic domain, although restrictive, includes a number of important application programs, such as structured editors, incremental compilers, and file system managers. The user interface tools described here support the Distributed Ada Programming Support Environment (DAPSE). The authors discuss the structure of Segue, present the R2D unparsing system, and examine tree-to-tree mappings. They then present three Segue user interfaces: an Ada editor, an Ada library manager, and the Gift interface specification tool     

A low cost interactive graphics system for large scale finite element analyses

The development of an interactive graphics system for use with finite element programs in a production analysis environment is described. This new system is believed to offer considerable cost savings, both in terms of initial expenditures and running costs compared with other systems, while simultaneously offering greatly expanded capacity and diversity of graphics options.

Other advantages include: ease of personnel training, the ability to operate on any reasonably sized computer, improved picture quality and resolution, and a high degree of program independence. The system, which is fully operational at Lockheed Missiles and Space Company's Missile System Division, is described in detail together with examples of available options. Finally, Lockheed's experience with the system is described and future developments discussed.