Uncertain Stream Lines

Abstract

We present a new approach for the visual representation of uncertain stream lines in vector field ensembles. While existing approaches rely on a particular seed point for the analysis of uncertain streamlines, our approach considers a whole stream line as seed structure. With this we ensure that uncertain stream lines are independent of the particular choice of seed point, and that uncertain stream lines have the same dimensionality as their certain counterparts in a single vector field. Assuming a Gaussian distribution of stream lines, we provide a visual representation of uncertain stream lines based on a mean map and a covariance map. The extension to uncertain path lines in ensembles of time-dependent vector fields is straightforward and is also introduced in the paper. We analyze properties, discuss discretization and performance issues, and apply the new technique to a number of flows ensembles.