Toward a Query Language on Simulation Mesh Data: an Object-Oriented Approach
Byung Lee, Robert Snapp
Department of Computer Science
University of Vermont
{bslee, snap}@cs.uvm.edu
Ron Musick*
iKuni, Inc
Palo Alto, CA 94304
musick@ikuni.com
Abstract
As simulation is gaining popularity as an inexpensive means of
experimentation in diverse fields of industry and government, the
attention to the data generated by scientific simulation is also
increasing. Scientific simulation generates mesh data, i.e. data
configured in a grid structure, in a sequence of time steps. Its
model is complex - understanding it involves mathematical topology and
geometry in addition to fields (in the relational sense). Moreover,
there is no query languaged developed on mesh data at all. These are
what we address in this paper. We develop a comprehensive model of
mesh data in an object-oriented manner, propose a set of primitive
algebraic operators, show their object-oriented implementation, and
demonstrate that the well-known object query language ODMG OQL is
powerful enough to express queries on mesh data, whether the queries
are on mesh topology, geometry, fields, of a combination of them.
Finally, we discuss some physical implementation issues pertinent to
executing queries efficiently.
To Appear in
International Conference on Database Systems for Advanced Applications (DASFA),
Hong Kong, April 2001.
Look at the Paper (pdf.gz)
* Work done while author at
Center for Applied Scientific Computing
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
P.O. Box 808, L-561, Livermore, CA 94551