A visualisation system for a peer-to-peer information space

Abstract

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks provide new opportunities and challenges for distributing and using data and services without a centralised design. An interesting use case for P2P systems is the interplay of information repository and data visualisation applications. In this article, we investigate the potential of distributed information and data processing services and evaluate their applicability in visualisation systems. In short, we generalise our previous work of a pipeline-based client-server visualisation system, decentralising the pipeline components over a service network. We analyse this architecture with respect to the requirements of both P2P information repositories and visualisation applications, in the context of the required use cases. Finally, we demonstrate the technical implementation via pre-studies and discuss P2P knowledge as a complementary topic for P2P visualisations. The work is based on an ongoing research project that will deliver a component-based P2P visualisation system, in a European network of excellence thriving to establish a distributed open knowledge system as a digital ecosystem, based on the ideology of open source communities.