Viistos

Viistos is a software platform for data visualization and computational modeling that provides a collaborative environment for exploring datasets, building simulations, and sharing results. It is designed to bridge data analysis, visualization, and policy or planning workflows across sectors such as urban development, climate science, and industrial optimization.

Viistos emerged from the Viistos Consortium, a collaboration of universities, research labs, and industry partners formed in 2023. The project released an initial open-source version in 2024 and has since grown through community contributions and annual developer conferences.

The platform uses a client-server architecture with a browser-based editor. It supports real-time co-authoring, project canvases, and layered visualizations. Core features include a modular plugin system for data sources (CSV, NetCDF, GIS, SQL), visualization types (maps, charts, 3D scenes), and analysis tools. It includes Viistos Script, a domain-specific scripting language for automation, and an API for extensions. The rendering engine emphasizes WebGL-based visuals and accessibility, with keyboard navigation and screen-reader compatibility. It is released under an open-source license.

Viistos has been used for urban planning simulations, flood risk visualization, energy-system optimization, and academic visualization research. Evaluations note strong support for collaborative workflows and rapid prototyping, while pointing to a learning curve and performance considerations for very large datasets. The project maintains governance via a community council and an open contribution model.

See also: open-source data visualization platforms, digital twin, GIS visualization.

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