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Winter 2004, Volume 3, Number 4, Pages 271-287
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Original Article
Dynamical system visualization and analysis via performance maps
James J Alpigini1

1Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, Malvern, PA 19355, USA. E-mail: jja7@psu.edu

Correspondence to: James J. Alpigini, Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, 30 East Swedesford Road, Malvern, PA 19355, USA

Abstract

Visualization techniques are common in the study of chaotic motion. These techniques range from simple time graphs and phase portraits to robust Julia sets, which are familiar to many as 'fractal images.' The utility of the Julia sets rests not in their considerable visual impact, but rather, in the color-coded information that they display about the dynamics of an iterated function. In this paper, a paradigm termed the performance map is presented, which is derived from the familiar Julia set. Performance maps are generated automatically for control or other dynamical system models over ranges of system parameters. The resulting visualizations require a minimum of a priori knowledge of the system under evaluation. By the use of color-coding, these images convey a wealth of information to the informed user about dynamic behaviors of a system that may be hidden from all but the expert analyst.

Information Visualization (2004) 3, 271-287. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ivs.9500082
Published online 11 November 2004

Keywords

visualization; chaos; linear control; nonlinear control; dynamics; simulations

Received 1 April 2004; revised 30 July 2004; accepted 6 August 2004; published online 11 November 2004
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