Double-Precision Floating-Point Data Visualizations Using Vulkan API

Abstract

Proper representation of data in graphical visualizations becomes challenging when high accuracy in data types is required, especially in those situations where the difference between double-precision floating-point and single-precision floating-point values makes a significant difference. Some of the limitations of using single-precision over double-precision include lesser accuracy, which accumulates errors over time, and poor modeling of large or small numbers. In such scenarios, emulated double precision is often used as a solution. The proposed methodology uses a modern GPU pipeline and graphics library API specifications to use native double precision. In this research, the approach is implemented using the Vulkan API, C++, and GLSL. Experimental evaluation with a series of experiments on 2D and 3D point datasets is proposed to indicate the effectiveness of the approach. This evaluates performance comparisons between native double-precision implementations against their emulated double-precision approaches with respect to rendering performance and accuracy. This study provides insight into the benefits of using native double-precision in graphical applications, denoting limitations and problems with emulated double-precision usages. These results improve the general understanding of the precision involved in graphical visualizations and assist developers in making decisions about which precision methods to use during their applications.