Diploma work in Computer Science (Minor: Applied Physics), University of Münster, Germany. Thesis: Volume Fusion and Material-based Techniques for Multimodal Visualization
Research Interests
My research interests have always focused on creating visualization applications and algorithms that provide insight for the largest possible number of people. On the one side, there are expert domain scientists that utilize these applications to gain insight into their datasets and either generate new hypotheses or test previously generated theories for a specific dataset. On the other side, visualization applications can be used as an expressive storytelling tool aimed at the general public.
In my PhD thesis I classified these into “Exploration”, which are applications where users perform an initial investigation of a new dataset in order to arrive at these novel hypotheses, “Analysis”, where an already established technique is repeatedly applied to a larger number of datasets as a means of confirming a specific hypotheses for a particular case. The last layer is “Communication” that covers the use case of disseminating research findings to a wider public audience.
The majority of my research work so far has been concerning astronomical and astrophysical phenomenæ, in particular in the development of the open-source software OpenSpace. In addition to using OpenSpace as a platform for computer graphics research, such as order-independent transparency methods and developing techniques for handling large scale differences in scenes, OpenSpace has served as a platform for three research projects aimed at both scientists and the general public.
One example is the development of tools for the analysis of time-varying volumetric simulations of space weather for the Community Coordinated Modeling Center at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. This application provides an analysis tool for the researchers to compare ensembles of simulations quickly and reliably in order to improve the predictive power of these simulation codes. Parts of this application were later merged into OpenSpace to be used during public presentations by the scientists to public audiences.
A second example is the visualization of space missions, such as New Horizons, Rosetta, or Osiris Rex. A third project is concerned with the high-resolution rendering of planetary surfaces. Centimeter-resolution images are available for large parts of Earth, the Moon, and Mars and are used in this project to provide an accurate and realistic surface context. While the environments can be used in public presentations directly, their main power comes from the usage when visualizing surface operations. In the case of Mars, this is the visualization of rover operations. In the case of the Moon, it is, for example, the dissemination of the Apollo moon missions. An example of surface rendering as presented in the GlobeBrowsing paper.
Visualization in Astrophysics: Developing New Methods, Discovering Our Universe, and Educating the EarthF. Lan, M. Young, L. Anderson, A. Ynnerman, A. Bock, M. Borkin, A. Forbes, J. Kollmeier, B. WangComputer Graphics Forum,2021
OpenSpace Sonification: Complementing Visualization of the Solar System with SoundE. Elmquist, M. Ejdbo, A. Bock, N. RönnbergInternational Community for Auditory Displays,2021
Unwind: Interactive Fish StraighteningF. Williams, A. Bock, H. Doraiswamy, C. Donatelli, K. Hall, A. Summers, D. Panozzo, C. SilvaCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems,2020
Interactive Visualization of Atmospheric Effects for Celestial BodiesJ. Costa, A. Bock, C. Emmart, C. Hansen, A. Ynnerman, C. SilvaIEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics,2020
Visualizing a Billion Stars for Science and EducationJ. Faherty, B. Abbott, A. Alsegård, C. Emmart, A. Bock, E. Axelsson, A. Ynnerman, M. AcinapuraAmerican Astronomical Society meeting #235,2020
OpenSpace: A System for AstrographicsA. Bock, E. Axelsson, J. Costa, G. Payne, M. Acinapura, V. Trakinski, C. Emmart, C. Silva, C. Hansen, A. YnnermanIEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics,2020
This paper describes how OpenSpace meets these challenges in an open source effort thatis paving the path for the next generation of interactive astrographics.
IDEAS: Immersive Dome Experiences for Accelerating ScienceJ. Faherty, M. SubbaRao, R. Wyatt, A. Ynnerman, N. deGrasse Tyson, A. Geller, M. Weber, P. Rosenfield, W. Steffen, G. Stoeckle, D. Weiskopf, M. Magnor, P. Williams, B. Abbott, L. Marchetti, T. Jarrett, J. Fay, J. Peek, O. Graur, P. Durrell, D. Homeier, H. Preston, T. Müller, J. Vos, D. Brown, P. Giorla, E. Rice, D. Bardalez Gagliuffi, A. Bock, J. Hedberg, D. Rosen, C. EmmartASTRO 2020 White Paper,2019
OpenSpace: Changing the Narrative of Public Dissemination in Astronomical Visualization from What to HowA. Bock, E. Axelsson, C. Emmart, M. Kuznetsova, C. Hansen, A. YnnermanIEEE Computer Graphics & Applications,2018
TopoAngler: Interactive Topology-based Extraction of FishesA. Bock, H. Doraiswamy, A. Summers, C. SilvaIEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics,2017
Globe Browsing: Contextualized Spatio-Temporal Planetary Surface VisualizationK. Bladin, E. Axelsson, E. Broberg, C. Emmart, P. Ljung, A. Bock, A. YnnermanIEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics,2017
OpenSpace: An Open-Source Astrovisualization FrameworkA. Bock, E. Axelsson, K. Bladin, J. Costa, G. Payne, M. Territo, J. Kilby, M. Kuznetsova, C. Emmart, A. YnnermanJournal of Open-Source Software,2017
Dynamic Scene Graph: Enabling Scaling, Positioning, and Navigation in the UniverseE. Axelsson, J. Costa, C. Silva, C. Emmart, A. Bock, A. YnnermanComputer Graphics Forum,2017
A Visualization-Based Analysis System for Urban Search & Rescue Mission Planning SupportA. Bock, Å. Svensson, A. Kleiner, J. Lundberg, T. RopinskiComputer Graphics Forum,2016
OpenSpace: An Open-Source Framework for Data Visualization and ContextualizationA. Bock, A. Pembroke, M.L. Mays, A. YnnermanAbstracts at American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting,2015
Shocks in unmagnetized plasma with a shear flow: Stability and magnetic field generationM. Dieckmann, A. Bock, H. Ahmed, D. Doria, G. Sarri, A. Ynnerman, M. BorghesiPhysics of Plasmas,2015
Hybrid Data Visualization Based On Depth Complexity Histogram AnalysisS. Lindholm, M. Falk, E. Sundén, A. Bock, A. Ynnerman, T. RopinskiComputer Graphics Forum,2015
Interaction Techniques as a Communication Channel when Presenting 3D VisualizationsE. Sundén, A. Bock, D. Jönsson, A. Ynnerman, T. RopinskiIEEE VIS International Workshop on 3DVis,2014
VCMass: A Framework for Verification of Coronal Mass Ejection Ensemble SimulationsA. Bock, M.L. Mays, L. Rastaetter, A. Ynnerman, T. RopinksiIEEE Vis Poster Session,2014
An Interactive Visualization System for Urban Search & Rescue Mission PlanningA. Bock, A. Kleiner, J. Lundberg, T. RopinskiInternational Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics,2014
Supporting Urban Search & Rescue Mission Planning through Visualization-Based AnalysisA. Bock, A. Kleiner, J. Lundberg, T. RopinskiVision, Modeling, and Visualization,2014
Guiding Deep Brain Stimulation Interventions by Fusing Multimodal Uncertainty RegionsA. Bock, N. Lang, G. Evangelista, R. Lehrke, T. RopinskiPacific Visualization,2013
Interactive Visualization of Space Weather DataM. Törnros, D. Berrios, A. Bock, C. Emmart, R. Harberts, A. YnnermanAbstracts at American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting,2012
Deriving and Visualizing Uncertainty in Kinetic PET ModelingK. T. Nguyen, A. Bock, A. Ynnerman, T. RopinskiVisual Computing for Biology and Medicine,2012
GPU-Accelerated Direct Volume Rendering of Finite Element Data SetsB. Liu, A. Bock, T. Ropinski, M. Nash, P. Nielsen, B. WuenscheConference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand,2012
Coherency-Based Curve Compression for High-Order Finite Element Model VisualizationA. Bock, E. Sundén, L. Bingchen, B. Wuensche, T. RopinskiIEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics,2012
Supporting Deep Brain Stimulation Interventions by Fusing Microelectrode Recordings with Imaging DataA. Bock, N. Lang, G. Evangelista, R. Lehrke, T. RopinskiVisual Computing for Biology and Medicine,2012
