A generally applicable, automatic method for the efficient computation of a database of global dynamics of a multiparameter dynamical system is introduced. An outer approximation of the dynamics for each subset of the parameter range is computed using rigorous numerical methods and is represented by means of a directed graph. The dynamics is then decomposed into the recurrent and gradient-like parts by fast combinatorial algorithms and is classified via Morse decompositions. These Morse decompositions are compared at adjacent parameter sets via continuation to detect possible changes in the dynamics. The Conley index is used to study the structure of isolated invariant sets associated with the computed Morse decompositions and to detect the existence of certain types of dynamics. The power of the developed method is illustrated with an application to the two-dimensional density-dependent Leslie population model. An interactive visualization of the results of computations discussed in the paper can be accessed at the Web site http://chomp.rutgers.edu/database/, and the source code of the software used to obtain these results has also been made freely available.

Design and control of vector fields is critical for many visualization and graphics tasks such as vector field visualization, fluid simulation, and texture synthesis. The fundamental qualitative structures associated with vector fields are fixed points, periodic orbits, and separatrices. In this paper, we provide a new technique that allows for the systematic creation and cancellation of fixed points and periodic orbits. This technique enables vector field design and editing on the plane and surfaces with desired qualitative properties. The technique is based on Conley theory, which provides a unified framework that supports the cancellation of fixed points and periodic orbits. We also introduce a novel periodic orbit extraction and visualization algorithm that detects, for the first time, periodic orbits on surfaces. Furthermore, we describe the application of our periodic orbit detection and vector field simplification algorithms to engine simulation data demonstrating the utility of the approach. We apply our design system to vector field visualization by creating data sets containing periodic orbits. This helps us understand the effectiveness of existing visualization techniques. Finally, we propose a new streamline-based technique that allows vector field topology to be easily identified.

We discuss an algorithmic framework based on efficient graph algorithms and algebraic-topological computational tools. The framework is aimed at automatic computation of a database of global dynamics of a given m-parameter semidynamical system with discrete time on a bounded subset of the n-dimensional phase space. We introduce the mathematical background, which is based upon Conley's topological approach to dynamics, describe the algorithms for the analysis of the dynamics using rectangular grids both in phase space and parameter space, and show two sample applications.