The Plug-in Image Component Widget (PICWidget) is a software component for building digital imaging applications. The component is part of a methodology described in “GIS Methodology for Planning Planetary-Rover Operations” (NPO-41812), which appears elsewhere in this issue of NASA Tech Briefs. Planetary rover missions return a large number and wide variety of image data products that vary in complexity in many ways. Supported by a powerful, flexible image-data-processing pipeline, the PICWidget can process and render many types of imagery, including (but not limited to) thumbnail, subframed, downsampled, stereoscopic, and mosaic images; images coregistred with orbital data; and synthetic red/green/blue images. The PICWidget is capable of efficiently rendering images from data representing many more pixels than are available at a computer workstation where the images are to be displayed. The PICWidget is implemented as an Eclipse plug-in using the Standard Widget Toolkit, which provides a straightforward interface for re-use of the PICWidget in any number of application programs built upon the Eclipse application framework. Because the PICWidget is tile-based and performs aggressive tile caching, it has flexibility to perform faster or slower, depending whether more or less memory is available.
This work was done by Jeffrey Norris, Jason Fox, Kenneth Rabe, I-Hsiang Shu, and Mark Powell of Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For further information, access the Technical Support Package (TSP) free online at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Software category.
This software is available for commercial licensing. Please contact Karina Edmonds of the California Institute of Technology at (626) 395-2322. Refer to NPO-41813.
This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
The PICWidget
(reference NPO-41813) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
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Overview
The document outlines the PICWidget image rendering component, a novel technology developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Commercial Technology Program. The PICWidget is designed to enhance image processing and visualization capabilities for various space missions, particularly those involving planetary rovers.
The PICWidget is characterized by its high performance and scalability, allowing it to efficiently render images at resolutions significantly higher than the native display capabilities of standard workstations. This innovation integrates several advanced technologies, including the Eclipse application framework, the Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT), and the Java Advanced Imaging library. The result is a flexible and powerful software component that can handle a wide variety of image types, including thumbnails, stereo images, mosaics, and coregistered orbital data.
The motivation behind the development of the PICWidget stems from the challenges faced in processing the vast array of image products returned by planetary rover missions. These images vary in complexity and type, necessitating a robust solution for effective visualization and analysis. The PICWidget addresses these challenges by providing a comprehensive image processing support system that can manage and render diverse imagery efficiently.
The document highlights the practical applications of the PICWidget in several NASA missions. It is utilized in the Maestro science activity planning software, which supports the Mars Exploration Rover mission, the 2007 Phoenix Lander Mission, and the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory. The component plays a crucial role in rendering stereo and mosaic imagery and serves as an interface for designating operational goals for robotic systems.
In summary, the PICWidget represents a significant advancement in image rendering technology for NASA, enhancing the capabilities of mission planning and execution for planetary exploration. The document serves as a technical support package, providing insights into the technology's development, applications, and relevance to ongoing and future NASA projects. For further inquiries or assistance, the document provides contact information for the Innovative Technology Assets Management at JPL.
