Visualization with dynamically generated SVG

Abstract

As the sheer quantity of scientific data collected, manipulated, analyzed, etc. by efforts such as the Human Genome Project continues to explode, the need for visualization tools becomes more and more critical to enabling the discoveries we hope will result from all this data. While the World Wide Web was originally designed as a tool for the sharing of scientific information, and has proven invaluable in that role, efforts at using web technologies to assist in visualization efforts have been limited by the raster-oriented graphics the web grew up around.We now have a new and very powerful web graphics technology available to us. Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is an XML syntax for creating complex vector graphics. By virtue of its XML text-based syntax, SVG lends itself quite naturally to server-side generation. Because of its support of Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) and JavaScript/ECMAScript, SVG graphics can be manipulated and generated client-side as well. Put these together and we have the necessary ingredients for sophisticated visualization tools where the server can generate on-the-fly applications and environments which can be manipulated by the user.