With the development of remote sensing devices, it becomes more and more convenient for individual researchers to acquire high-resolution point cloud data by themselves. There have been plenty of online tools for researchers to exhibit their work. However, the drawback of existing tools is that they are not flexible enough for the users to create 3D scenes of a mixture of point-based and triangle-based models. X3DOM is a WebGL-based library built on Extensible 3D (X3D) standard, which enables users to create 3D scenes with only a little computer graphics knowledge. Before X3D 4.0 Specification, little attention has been paid to point cloud rendering in X3DOM. PointProperties, an appearance node newly added in X3D 4.0, provides point size attenuation and texture-color mixing effects to point geometries. In this work, we propose an X3DOM implementation of PointProperties. This implementation fulfills not only the features specified in X3D 4.0 documentation, but other shading effects comparable to the effects of triangle-based geometries in X3DOM, as well as other state-of-the-art point cloud visualization tools. We also evaluate the performances of some of these effects. The result shows that a general laptop is able to handle most of the examined conditions in real-time. / Master of Science / With the development of remote sensing devices, it becomes more and more convenient for individual researchers to acquire high-resolution point cloud data by themselves. There have been plenty of online tools for researchers to exhibit their work. However, the drawback of existing tools is that they are not flexible enough for the users to create 3D scenes of a mixture of point-based and triangle-based models. X3DOM is a WebGL-based library built on Extensible 3D (X3D) standard, which enables users to create 3D scenes with only a little computer graphics knowledge. Most of the 3D Scenes can be created with several lines of HTML and JavaScript code. Before X3D 4.0 Specification, little attention has been paid to point cloud rendering in X3DOM. PointProperties, an appearance node newly added in X3D 4.0, provides point size attenuation and texture-color mixing effects to point geometries. It applies to all point-based geometries in X3DOM and distinguishes point cloud from naive particles. In this work, we propose an X3DOM implementation of PointProperties. This implementation fulfills not only the features specified in X3D 4.0 documentation but other shading effects to produce appearance comparable with triangle-based geometries in X3DOM, as well as other state-of-the-art point cloud visualization tools. We also evaluate the performances of some of these effects. The result shows that a general laptop can handle most of the examined conditions in real-time.

This metaverse and computer vision-powered application is designed to serve people with low vision or a visual impairment, ranging from adults to old age. Specifically, we hope to improve the situational awareness of users in a scene by narrating the visual content from their point of view. The user would be able to understand the information through auditory channels as the system would narrate the scene's description using speech technology. This could increase the accessibility of visual-spatial information for the users in a metaverse and later in the physical world. This solution is designed and developed considering the hypothesis that if we enable the narration of a scene's visual content, we can increase the understanding and access to that scene. This study paves the way for VR technology to be used as a training and exploration tool not limited to blind people in generic environments, but applicable to specific domains such as military, healthcare, or architecture and planning. We have run a user study and evaluated our hypothesis about which set of algorithms will perform better for a specific category of tasks - like search or survey - and evaluated the narration algorithms by the user's ratings of naturalness, correctness and satisfaction. The tasks and algorithms have been discussed in detail in the chapters of this thesis. / Master of Science / The solution is built using an object detection algorithm and virtual environments which run on the web browser using X3DOM. The solution would help improve situational awareness for normal people as well as for low vision individuals through speech. On a broader scale, we seek to contribute to accessibility solutions. We have designed four algorithms which will help user to understand the scene information through auditory channels as the system would narrate the scene's description using speech technology. The idea would increase the accessibility of visual-spatial information for the users in a metaverse and later in the physical world.

En stor kvantitet av miljödata samlas hela tiden in och för att dra nytta av all data behöver den förstås av de användarna som kan applicera kunskapen inom deras område. Visualiseringar tillåter användare att förstå datan och det är därför en viktig del av hur en användare kan ta del av den datan som samlas in. I detta arbete evalueras de WebGLbaserade teknologierna Three.js och X3DOM om vilken som är mest lämplig för att visualisera geospatial data på webben utifrån hur effektiva de är vid rendering av heatmaps. Två applikationer utvecklas, en baserat på Three.js och en på X3DOM. Mätningar utförs på varje applikation för att jämföra renderingstiden mellan teknologierna och en kvalitativ studie används för att evaluera deras användbarhet. Resultatet blev att Three.js är mer lämpligt för att visualisera geospatial data på webben.

Animationen bieten verschiedene Möglichkeiten, um Sachverhalte in der Softwarevisualisierung darzustellen. Die vielfältigen Ausprägungen von Animationen können eingesetzt werden, um die verschiedenen Hauptaspekte von Software, Struktur, Verhalten und Historie, zu visualisieren. Um ihren Einsatz für die Zwecke der Softwarevisualisierung zu optimieren, ist es aber essenziell, die verschiedenen möglichen Formen, deren Einsatzzwecke und ihre Eigenschaften im Bezug auf die Wahrnehmung von Menschen zu untersuchen. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht diese Aspekte und bedient sich dabei verschiedener Forschungsmethoden. Zu diesen Forschungsmethoden gehören eine Literaturstudie, die prototypische Implementierung von Werkzeugen und ein Experiment. Die Literaturstudie zeigt den aktuellen Stand der Forschung im Bezug auf die Verwendung und den Einsatzzweck von Animationen im Bereich der Softwarevisualisierung. Die prototypische Implementierung von Werkzeugen wird genutzt, um verschiedene Phasen des Visualisierungsprozesses zu unterstützen. So werden Techniken dargestellt, die es ermöglichen, Informationen über die Struktur, das Verhalten und die Historie von Ruby-Programmen zu gewinnen und diese in geeigneter Weise bereitzustellen. Des Weiteren wird ein Framework vorgestellt, mit dem es möglich ist, durch deklarative Angabe von Ereignissen, verschiedene Arten von Animationen in X3D- und X3DOM-Szenen auszulösen. Um die Visualisierungen zu erzeugen, stellt die Arbeit die Erweiterung eines Generators für Softwarevisualisierungen vor. Diese Erweiterung ermöglicht es, aus den extrahierten Informationen animierte Softwarevisualisierungen für alle drei Hauptaspekte von Software zu erzeugen. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein Experiment zur Untersuchung der Effektivität und Effizienz von Animationen in Softwarevisualisierungen durchgeführt. Um die Durchführung dieses und anderer Experimente im Bereich der Softwarevisualisierung zu erleichtern, werden verschiedene Methoden und Hilfsmittel vorgestellt. Dazu gehört auch ein prototypisch im Rahmen der Arbeit implementierter Evaluationsserver, der Versuchsleiter für vergleichende Visualisierungsexperimente in den Bereichen Planung, Durchführung und Auswertung unterstützen kann. Dieser kommt im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit bei der Durchführung eines Experiments zum Einsatz, das für die Aspekte Struktur, Verhalten und Historie jeweils eine statische mit einer animierten Softwarevisualisierung hinsichtlich der Aspekte Fehlerrate, Zeitbedarf zur Beantwortung von Fragen und von den Probanden durchgeführte Interaktion vergleicht.

Datavisualisering är ett hjälpsamt verktyg för beslutsfattare för att inom en kontext få en god översyn och skapa förståelse. Beslutsfattare kan enklare ta beslut utifrån datan som visualiserats och visualisera geografiskt knuten data med kartor har varit populärt under en längre tid. 3D grafik för webben har också med tiden vuxit sig mer mogen och kraftfulla bibliotek har ersatt tidigare pluginbaserade lösningar. Det har skapat möjligheter för nya licensfria former av datavisualisering. Det finns dock olika angreppssätt för att skapa och visualisera data i 3D för webben, det deklarativa och det imperativa, vilket detta arbete ämnar att jämföra. Arbetet undersöker det deklarativa X3DOM och det imperativa ThreeJS för att se vilket som presterar bäst i utritningstid. Resultatet visade att ThreeJS presterar bättre jämfört mot X3DOM men ThreeJS har en ojämn prestanda kurva med många spikar.

The focus of this thesis is on the implementation, the evaluation and the useful application of the third dimension in software visualization. Software engineering is characterized by a complex interplay of different stakeholders that produce and use several artifacts. Software visualization is used as one mean to address this increasing complexity. It provides role- and task-specific views of artifacts that contain information about structure, behavior, and evolution of a software system in its entirety. The main potential of the third dimension is the possibility to provide multiple views in one software visualization for all three aspects. However, empirical findings concerning the role of the third dimension in software visualization are rare. Furthermore, there are only few 3D software visualizations that provide multiple views of a software system including all three aspects. Finally, the current tool support lacks of generating easy integrateable, scalable, and platform independent 2D, 2.5D, and 3D software visualizations automatically. Hence, the objective is to develop a software visualization that represents all important structural entities and relations of a software system, that can display behavioral and evolutionary aspects of a software system as well, and that can be generated automatically. In order to achieve this objective the following research methods are applied. A literature study is conducted, a software visualization generator is conceptualized and prototypically implemented, a structured approach to plan and design controlled experiments in software visualization is developed, and a controlled experiment is designed and performed to investigate the role of the third dimension in software visualization. The main contributions are an overview of the state-of-the-art in 3D software visualization, a structured approach including a theoretical model to control influence factors during controlled experiments in software visualization, an Eclipse-based generator for producing automatically role- and task-specific 2D, 2.5D, and 3D software visualizations, the controlled experiment investigating the role of the third dimension in software visualization, and the recursive disk metaphor combining the findings with focus on the structure of software including useful applications of the third dimension regarding behavior and evolution.

The focus of this thesis is on the implementation, the evaluation and the useful application of the third dimension in software visualization. Software engineering is characterized by a complex interplay of different stakeholders that produce and use several artifacts. Software visualization is used as one mean to address this increasing complexity. It provides role- and task-specific views of artifacts that contain information about structure, behavior, and evolution of a software system in its entirety. The main potential of the third dimension is the possibility to provide multiple views in one software visualization for all three aspects. However, empirical findings concerning the role of the third dimension in software visualization are rare. Furthermore, there are only few 3D software visualizations that provide multiple views of a software system including all three aspects. Finally, the current tool support lacks of generating easy integrateable, scalable, and platform independent 2D, 2.5D, and 3D software visualizations automatically. Hence, the objective is to develop a software visualization that represents all important structural entities and relations of a software system, that can display behavioral and evolutionary aspects of a software system as well, and that can be generated automatically. In order to achieve this objective the following research methods are applied. A literature study is conducted, a software visualization generator is conceptualized and prototypically implemented, a structured approach to plan and design controlled experiments in software visualization is developed, and a controlled experiment is designed and performed to investigate the role of the third dimension in software visualization. The main contributions are an overview of the state-of-the-art in 3D software visualization, a structured approach including a theoretical model to control influence factors during controlled experiments in software visualization, an Eclipse-based generator for producing automatically role- and task-specific 2D, 2.5D, and 3D software visualizations, the controlled experiment investigating the role of the third dimension in software visualization, and the recursive disk metaphor combining the findings with focus on the structure of software including useful applications of the third dimension regarding behavior and evolution.