Using the World Wide Web to provide a platform independent interface to high performance computing

Abstract

We have developed a set of techniques for providing interactive 3D graphics via the World Wide Web (WWW) as part of the " Whole Frog" project. The success of this project indicates that the Web and its associated browsers can serve as an easily used and powerful front end to high-performance computing resources. We utilize the Common Gateway Interface capability of WWW servers to provide an interactive 3D visualization front end through Web clients. These techniques have been used to make a "Virtual Frog Dissection Kit", available as http://www-itg.lbl.gov/vfrog. A student using this Kit has the ability to view various parts of a frog from many different angles, and with the different anatomical structures visible or invisible.