In the previous chapter, we looked into the advanced concepts of the ROS architecture and its functionality, which started with the parameter server, actionlib, pluginlib, and nodelet. Moreover, we also looked at the Gazebo framework and plugin for simulation, along with the ROS TF (transform frame). However, we also started discussing the ROS visualization tool (RViz) and its plugins, which are used for debugging and monitoring.

In this chapter, we will discuss certain concepts and tools used in visualization and debugging. First, we will learn how to debug and profile a ROS node with the GDB debugger and Valgrind.

Consequently, we will look into how to log and visualize ROS messages and observe the ROS computational graph with different severity levels, names, conditions, and throttling options using rqt.

Similarly, in this chapter, we will learn how to plot scalar data in a discrete time series, visualize images from a video stream, and represent different types of vector data in 3D using RViz.