1. CSC 4730/6730 Scientific Visualization
Ying Zhu
Lecture 01
Course Overview
CSC4730/6730

2. Overview Course Overview Course Webpage Administrative issues
What is visualization?
Course Webpage

3. Office Hours & Contact Information
Office Hours
Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Or by appointment
Office: 34 Peachtree Street (One Park Tower building) room1441
Phone: (404)

4. Correspondence
By default, I will send announcements/notice to your GSU account.
If you prefer a different account, please let me know.
When sending me , please make sure to include “CSc4730” or “CSc6730” in the subject line.

5. Prerequisites
CSc 2311 (Principles of Computer Programming II)

6. Textbook
No textbook
Reading materials and course notes will be posted on course web site.

7. Grading For CSc 4730 students: For CSc 6730 students:
Homework assignments: 30%
Projects: 40%
Class participation and presentations 10%  
Final exam: 20%
For CSc 6730 students:
Homework assignments: 20%
Graduate student project 30%
Class participation and presentations 10%

8. Grading The grading scale is as follows: A: 90+ B: 80 - 89 C: 70 - 79
Make-up exams are given at the discretion of the instructor. Students who are unable to take an exam for a valid reason should notify the instructor before the exam time.

9. Tentative Schedule
Tentative course schedule is available online at

10. Projects & Assignments
Three projects and four homework assignments
All projects and homework assignments are individual work
Each of the CSC6730 student needs to complete an additional individual project

11. Projects & Assignments
Projects are due on the assigned date.
Late submissions may result in reduction of grades.
Project submissions later than three days will not be accepted unless you make prearrangements
Students should keep copies of their projects and assignments until after they receive their grades.

12. Projects Overview The purpose is to learn visualization tools
Project 1: Creating visualization with Mathematica
Project 2: Creating visualization with Visualization Toolkit and ParaView
Project 3: Creating visualization with Tableau Software

13. Term project for CSC6730 Three options for CSC6730 students
Develop a visualization technique for a particular data set
Develop a visualization program for a particular problem domain
Conduct a survey in a particular area of data visualization
CSC4730/6730

14. Homework Overview
The purpose is to collect visualization examples from real world and review them
Homework #1: Visualization of social or political data
Homework #2: Visualization of sports, music, film data
Homework #3: Visualization of scientific or medical data
Homework #4: Visualization of business or economic data

15. Homework
Each homework submission will be followed by a brief presentation by each student
Present and discuss the data visualizations he/she has collected
These presentations and class participation account for 10% of the total grade
CSC4730/6730

16. Lecture Notes
Lecture notes will be posted on course web page

17. Teaching Assistant
To be announced

18. Classroom Etiquette
Please refrain from talking to each other during the lecture
But do ask me questions
Please silence your cell phone while in class
Please do not take or make phone calls in class except for emergencies

19. Any questions?

20. What is visualization? Definitions from Merriam-Webster dictionary
The act or process of interpreting in visual terms or putting into visible form
Formation of mental visual images
CSC4730/6730

21. What is visualization? Definitions from wikipedia.org
Any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate any message
The technique of visualization in alternative medicine that consists of creating a mental image of a desired outcome
A technique of relaxation, whereby images that invoke a relaxed state are visualized
CSC4730/6730

22. What is visualization?
It is a process of transforming information into a visual form enabling the viewer to observe, browse, make sense, and understand the information.
-- inforvis.org
CSC4730/6730

23. Visual Thinking
“Visualization is an important thinking mode which is especially useful in solving problems where shapes, forms, or patterns are concerned.”
“… attempt to use visualization in your thinking process whenever appropriate.”
“It is one of the most basic of all thinking modes and one that is invaluable in problem-solving.”
James L. Adams, “Conceptual Blockbusting”
CSC4730/6730

24. Three kinds of visual imagery
Three kinds of visual imagery that are necessary in effective visual thinking
By Bob McKim in “Experiences in Visual Thinking”
Perceptual imagery
What one sees and records in his brain
Mental imagery
Constructed in mind and utilizes information from perceptual imagery
CSC4730/6730

25. Three kinds of visual imagery
Graphic imagery
Imagery sketched or drawn (either by hand or by computer) to aid in your own process of thinking or to aid in communication with others
CSC4730/6730

26. Why use visualization Answer a question, help solve a problem
Help make decisions
To explore and discover
Help people locate information
Communicate information
Make a point or tell a story
CSC4730/6730

27. Why use visualization
In many cases, human brain seems to process visual information more efficiently than textual information
Dual coding theory
Don’t underestimate a aesthetic effect of visualization
Pretty pictures attract eyeballs
Pretty pictures can help sell your work
CSC4730/6730

28. What this course is about
This course is about the theory and practice of data visualization
You will learn
What types of visualization techniques are there?
What are the characteristics, advantages and drawbacks of each visualization technique?
CSC4730/6730

29. What this course is about
What are the theoretical basis of these visualization techniques?
How to evaluate a particular visualization design? How to tell if a visualization is misleading?
How to design effective and user friendly visualizations?
CSC4730/6730

30. What this course is about
We will study visualization mainly from a visualization developer’s perspective
How to PRESENT the information visually to help effective problem solving and the decision making
But through homework assignments, you will also learn to be a savvy visualization consumer
Learn to evaluate a visualization using sophisticated methods
CSC4730/6730

31. What this course is about
Through projects, you will learn to use some important tools to create visualizations
Mathematica (
Visualization Toolkit ( and ParaView (
Tableau Software (
CSC4730/6730

32. Any question?
CSC4730/6730

33. Next lecture Scientific and information visualization overview
CSC4730/6730