Research Computing provides a wide range of software tools, many of which have visualization capabilities. Software tools are available that run locally on users' computers and remotely on Research Computing's systems.
Supported Visualization Software
Our visualization staff have expertise in and are ready to assist with the following software.
For help, reach out to us at [email protected].
Open-Source Software
| Software | Description (Used for…) |
Installed on Research Computing’s Systems? |
|---|---|---|
| Datawrapper | Building well-designed charts, maps, and tables. User-friendly. | - |
| ffmpeg | Recording, converting, and streaming audio and video. | Yes |
| Flourish | Building charts, networks, maps. User-friendly. | - |
| imageMagick | Editing and manipulating digital images. | Yes |
| Gephi | Building network graphs. | - |
| Graphviz | Representing structural information as diagrams and networks. | Yes |
| ParaView | Visualizing scientific data, often with VTK. Very large data sets can be rendered in parallel. | Yes |
| POVRay | Creating three-dimensional graphics. | - |
| Python | Building charts, maps, networks, and more. Common libraries for visualization are matplotlib, seaborn, plotly, etc. | Yes |
| R | Building charts, maps, networks, and more. Common library for visualization is ggplot2. | Yes |
| Tableau | Building charts, maps, and networks. User-friendly. | - |
| TurboVNC | Permitting graphics software to utilize GPU hardware. | Yes |
| VisiData | Exploring large data sets prior to visualization. | - |
| VisIt | Visualizing scientific data, often with VTK. Very large data sets can be rendered in parallel. | Yes |
Licensed Software
| Software | Description (Used for…) |
Installed on Research Computing’s Systems? |
|---|---|---|
| IDL | Data analysis, data visualization, and software application development. | Yes |
| Excel | Data structuring, analysis, and visualization. | - |
| GIS Software | Creating and analyzing maps. See our GIS & Geospatial Analysis Software for a specific list of GIS software. | - |
Searching for Additional Available Software
When working on Research Computing's systems, to see the full set of available software we recommend logging into the system of interest and using the command:$ module load Learn more about working with pre-installed software (through modules) on our systems in the Software section of our Guide to the Princeton Clusters.
Additional software can sometimes be found by reviewing the contents of the /usr/licensed folder on the clusters: $ ls /usr/licensed Note that some licensed programs are available to all users, and some are only available to individuals or groups who've purchased that specific license.
If you don't see the visualization software you are looking for, you can install it in your home folder on the system. See the Installing Software Not Available on the Cluster section of our guide for more information.