Scientific visualization has always been an integral part of discovery starting first with
simplified drawings of the pre-Enlightenment and progressing to present day. Mathematical
formalism often supersedes visual methods but their use is at the core of the mental process.
As historical examples a spatial description of flow led to electromagnetic theory and
without visualization of crystals structural chemistry would not exist. With the advent of
computer graphics technology visualization has become a driving force in modern computing. A
Concise Introduction to Scientific Visualization - Past Present and Future serves as a primer
to visualization without assuming prior knowledge. It discusses both the history of
visualization in scientific endeavour and how scientific visualization is currently shaping
the progress of science as a multi-disciplinary domain.
