Data analysis/visualization for the object-oriented LHC era

The LHC++ [1] (Libraries for HEP Computing) working group was established in mid-1995, in response to a stated requirement from the LHC collaborations, to investigate a ''CERNLIB-like'' environment, but based on C++. The strategy of the working group, which involves representatives from CERN experiments and outside, has been to adopt standards either de-jure and de-facto - wherever appropriate and to concentrate HEP effort on HEP-specific problems. The presentation will focus on those areas of the proposed LHC++ environment related to data analysis and visualization, and will include a discussion of HEP-specific histogram classes, why they are needed, and their relationship with other components of the strategy, including Object Databases (ODBMS) and industry-standard scientific visualization frameworks (AVS Express and LRIS Explorer).