computer science

SciDAVis

SciDAVis is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SciDAVis rather than just read about it. In short: SciDAVis (Scientific Data Analysis and Visualization) is an open-source cross-platform computer program for interactive scientific graphing and data analysis. Development started in 2007 as fork of QtiPlot, which in turn is a clone of the proprietary program Origin.

Key takeaways

SciDAVis belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SciDAVis to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SciDAVis from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SciDAVis (Scientific Data Analysis and Visualization) is an open-source cross-platform computer program for interactive scientific graphing and data analysis. Development started in 2007 as fork of QtiPlot, which in turn is a clone of the proprietary program Origin.

Features SciDAVis can generate different types of 2D and 3D plots (such as line, scatter, bar, pie, and surface plots) from data that is either imported from ASCII files, entered by hand, or calculated using formulas. The data is held in spreadsheets, which are referred to as tables with column-based data (typically X and Y values for 2D plots) or matrices (for 3D plots). The spreadsheets, as well as graphs and note windows, are gathered in a project and can be organized using folders. The built-in analysis operations include column/row statistics, (de)convolution, FFT and FFT-based filters. Curve fitting can be performed with user-defined or built-in linear and nonlinear functions, including multi-peak fitting, based on the GNU Scientific Library. The plots can be exported to several bitmap formats, PDF, EPS or SVG. Note windows support in-place evaluation of mathematical expressions or an optional scripting interface to Python. The GUI of the application uses the Qt toolkit.

History SciDAVis was founded by Tilman Benkert and Knut Franke in 2007 as a fork of QtiPlot, after disagreements arose with Ion Vasilief, the founder and main developer of the project. Franke has stated that the topics of disagreement included "design goals, management of community resources and the right way to make money from a free software project". In 2008, developers of SciDAVis and LabPlot "found their project goals to be very similar" and "decided to start a close cooperation" with the aim of merging their code into a common backend, while maintaining "two frontends, one with full KDE4 integration (called LabPlot 2.x) and one with no KDE dependencies (pure Qt so to say) for easier cross-platform use (called SciDAVis)". This never actually happened, and 10 years later both continue to be separate parallel projects without any kind of (at least publicly available) collaboration, joint agreement or declaration/proposal, code merging, not any other way of cooperation or joint efforts. After stalled development for several years, updates to SciDAVis have resumed.

Release history 2007-08-05: Release 0.1.0 2007-12-21: Release 0.1.1 2008-02-03: Release 0.1.2 2008-04-19: Release 0.1.3 2009-02-10: Release 0.1.4 2009-02-14: Release 0.2.0 2009-03-09: Release 0.2.1 2009-04-20: Release 0.2.2 2009-07-12: Release 0.2.3 2010-03-12: Release 0.2.4 2014-01-23: Release 1.D1 2014-02-05: Release 1.D4 2014-03-21: Release 1.D5 2014-08-26: Release 1.D8 2015-11-24: Release 1.D9 2016-06-05: Release 1.D13 2016-07-29: Release 1.14 2017-06-01: Release 1.17 2017-06-21: Release 1.18 2017-07-19: Release 1.19 2017-08-09: Release 1.21 2017-10-22: Release 1.22 2018-06-04: Release 1.23 2019-03-05: Release 1.25 2019-12-18: Release 1.26 2020-04-30: Release 2.1 2020-06-12: Release 2.3 2021-05-05: Release 2.4 2022-02-12: Release 2.7 2022-04-13: Release 2.8 2022-04-16: Release 2.9 2022-04-16: Release 2.9.1 2022-04-16: Release 2.9.2

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SciDAVis

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SciDAVis claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SciDAVis before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SciDAVis ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SciDAVis

In research: SciDAVis appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SciDAVis in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SciDAVis is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Free educational software, Free plotting software, Free software programmed in C++, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SciDAVis outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SciDAVis in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SciDAVis means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SciDAVis out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SciDAVis in simple terms?

Why does SciDAVis matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SciDAVis?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SciDAVis.