EnvirVis: Workshop on Visualisation in Environmental Sciences

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Visualisation design for representing bird migration tracks in time and space
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Kölzsch, A.; Slingsby, A.; Wood, J.; Nolet, B.A.; Dykes, J.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
As increasing numbers of high quality data sets on bird migration become available, systematic means of designing ways of visualising them are needed. In a collaborative study of visualisation scientists and animal ecologists we specify a framework to describe design possibilities. We use this framework to generate visualisation designs that integrate time, space and context in a case study using white-fronted goose migration tracks. Developed visualisation designs were regarded as useful for migration ecology and work to improve them for easy usage in the future is ongoing.
Environmental Visualization: Applications to Site Characterization, Remedial Programs, and Litigation Support
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Ling, Meng; Chen, Jian; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
This paper introduces the application of the visualization technology in the USA environmental consulting industry for site characterization, remedial programs, and litigation support. As a tool visualization allows environmental data that is three-dimensional and transient in nature to be accurately documented, efficiently represented, and ef- fectively communicated to both professionals and the general public. Maximized understanding through enhanced visual perception increases the chance of success in handling complex environmental problems. The key functions, accessibility, and general areas of application of the visualization technology are described and demonstrated with case studies.
Visualization of Urban Micro-Climate Simulations
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Röber, Niklas; Salim, Mohamed; Gierisch, Andrea; Böttinger, Michael; Schlünzen, Heinke; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
Climate simulations range from projections with global coupled models of the earth system down to simulations of small scale phenomena, and can cover time scales between seconds up to thousands of years. This work focusses on urban climate simulations and discusses best practices for the visualization and analysis of such data sets. For this task, only state-of-the-art visualization techniques are used, which are available in most visualization packages. The goals for these visualizations are investigative, as well as for communication and presentation purposes.
Visual Analytics for Exploring Changes in Biodiversity
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Slingsby, A.; Loon, E. van; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
We report on ongoing work in which we are designing a visual interface to a large database of species observation data. Our design allows the data to be explored and visually summarised by space, time and species, helping assess the data's suitability for helping answer questions about biodiversity. Key issues we are addressing include working with large datasets, dealing with varying spatial and temporal precisions and dealing with different qualities of data collection and sampling strategies. Our visual interface design is being informed by a set of research questions and a planned user-centred workshop.
Visual Analytics of the Hydrodynamic Flux for Coastal Flooding Prediction and Management
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) George, R. L. S. F.; Robins, P.; Davies, A. G.; Roberts, J. C.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
Fifty percent of the earth's population lives within 60 kms of the shoreline. So preventing or mitigating against coastal or estuary flooding is important, especially because of the predicted sea level rise from climate change. A key calculation in simulating flooding over an estuary is hydrodynamic flux, but typically this is complex and tedious to compute and not easily undertaken with traditional visualization and analytical tools. We present a transect profiler and flux calculation algorithm which permits rapid, iterative exploration and comparison of the derived data. This profiler has been implemented and integrated in our multiple view visual analytics system VINCA.
Using K-Means Clustering for a Spatial Analysis of Multivariate and Time-Varying Microclimate Data
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Häb, Kathrin; Middel, Ariane; Hagen, Hans; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
In this study, we propose a k-means clustering algorithm combined with glyph-based encoding method to analyze the spatial distribution and dependence of multivariate, time-varying 3D microclimate data. We obtained five climate variables, i.e. air and surface temperature, specific humidity, direct shortwave radiation and sensible heat flux, from an ENVI-met R simulation of a residential neighborhood in Phoenix, AZ. In a preprocessing step, we aggregated the 3D gridded simulation data by adding up value differences between two consecutive time steps for each grid cell over the entire simulation time to get a highly compressed view of the data without losing the spatial context. K-means clustering was then conducted in coordinate space by weighting each grid cell based on its difference to the spatial mean of temporal value differences. To reduce occlusion and to encode additional cluster member information, the visualization focused on the k-means cluster centroids. Resulting images show that the applied technique is suitable to provide a first insight into the spatial relationship of features based on their temporal variability.
Rendering Technique of Multi-layered Domain Boundaries and its Application to Fluid Flow in Porous Media Visualizations
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Naumov, D.; Bilke, L.; Kolditz, O.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
Current visualization techniques for computational fluid dynamics applications are sofisticated and work well in simple geometries. For complex geometries like pore spaces, multiple domain boundaries are obstructing the view and make the studying of fluid flow fields difficult. To overcome these deficiencies we use two-sided materials to render the domain boundaries. Using this technique it is possible to place the camera inside the domain and to have a non-obstructed view on the surrounding flow field without losing spatial reference to the domain boundaries. As a result a larger part of fluid flow visualization is visible. Two-sided material rendering was successfully applied to display still images with Blender Cycles renderer and in a virtual reality environment.
MO2GEO - a Small Tool for Registration and Visualization of Geological Data
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Schimpf, L.; Gossel, W.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
Geological data have to be registered according to country-specific standards and visualized in 3D tools. Both topics are addressed by the tool MO2GEO, which is flexible enough to allow the insertion of common national geological standards (UK, Germany, US). Borehole graphics and cross-section development are available, and the database extended by these data allows for an improved interpolation compared to borehole data only. The visualization of the pseudo-3D volumes shows not only the connected surfaces of geological layers but also virtual cross sections and boreholes at any defined points or lines inside the area. The tool MO2GEO is OpenSource and can therefore be used in schools as well.
Visualisation Strategies for Modelling and Simulation Using Geoscientific Data
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Rink, K.; Bilke, L.; O. Kolditz; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
We present a number of strategies to visualise a wide range of geoscientific data for the modelling of natural phenomena. Input data sets as well as simulation results of hydrological or thermal processes can be assessed and potential problems when incorporating data sets in a model can be detected and resolved. Algorithms for the demonstration of modelling case studies within specialised environments are presented and examples are given for a region in central Germany.
BlendGIS: An Open Source tool for 3d and 4d visualization of ecology related spatial data
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Eligehausen, J.; Riecken, L.; Borchardt, D.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
We developed a plugin for the open source modelling, animation and rendering software Blender to import and visualize ecology related spatial data created with the open source GIS QuantumGIS in 3d and 4d. The main goal is on the one hand side to provide a tool that helps to increase the social acceptance in obligatory public participation processes for public funded ecosystem restoration measures and research programms. And on the other hand side to provide a toolkit for visualization of ecological data that also satisfies the scientific needs. We successfully used it in two case studies concerning stream ecology.
Visualizing Saline Intrusion in a Three-Dimensional, Heterogeneous, Coastal Aquifer
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Walther, M.; Bilke, L.; Delfs, J.-O.; Graf, T.; Grundmann, J.; Kolditz, O.; Liedl, R.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
We visualize remediation scenarios for a coastal aquifer in Oman, where the natural fresh-saltwater interface is negatively affected by groundwater pumping for irrigation. The 3D aquifer is characterized by strong heterogeneities ranging from local to regional scale, which impose visual challenges in the interpretation of large data amounts. This paper addresses the visualization workflow, which helped to ensure correct model setup and successful calibration of a transient model run. The modelling and visualization exercise identified sensitive areas for salinization along the coast and assessed the impact of remediation measures on the groundwater reservoir in space and time. Proper visualization helped to interpret and illustrate the complex results adequately, and to transfer scientific information to stakeholders.
Determining and Visualizing Potential Sources of Floods
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Schlegel, S.; Böttinger, M.; Hlawitschka, M.; Scheuermann, G.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
In this paper, we visually analyze spatio-temporal patterns of different hydrologic parameters relevant for flooding. On the basis of data from climate simulations with a high resolution regional atmosphere model, several extreme events are selected for different river catchments in Germany. By visually comparing the spatial distribution of the main contributions to the run-off along with their temporal evolution for a time period in the 20th and the 21th century, impacts of climate change on the hydrological cycle can be identified.
Rapid Sketch-based 3D Modeling of Geology
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Lidal, E. M.; Patel, D.; Bendiksen, M.; Langeland, T.; Viola, I.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
We present and compare two different approaches for performing rapid 3D geological modeling. The ad-hoc approach is based on a composition of many specialized modeling functions, while the generic approach provides one powerful, generic modeling function. Our experiences after developing these two approaches are that the solution space of 3D geological modeling is more extensive than we initially expected and most likely larger than for other modeling domains such as architecture. Further, more research is needed to investigate whether it is possible to find one well defined toolset of sketching metaphors that is able to cover all of geological modeling.
3D Visualization of Atmospheric Data for Analytical Approaches
(The Eurographics Association, 2013) Helbig, C.; Rink, K.; Bauer, H.-S.; Wulfmeyer, V.; Frank, M.; Kolditz, O.; O. Kolditz and K. Rink and G. Scheuermann
In the future, climate change will strongly influence our environment and living conditions. Climate simulations that evaluate these changes produce huge data sets. The combination of various variables of the model with spatial data from different sources helps to identify correlations and to study key processes. We visualized results of the WRF model for two regions. For this purpose, we selected visualization methods based on specific research questions and combined these variables in a visual way. These visualizations can be displayed on a PC or in a virtual reality environment and are the basis for scientific communication for evaluating models and discussing the data of the research results.
WebGL-based Geodata Visualization for Policy Support and Decision Making
(The Eurographics Association, 2014) Lukasczyk, Jonas; Middel, Ariane; Hagen, Hans; Olaf Kolditz and Karsten Rink and Gerik Scheuermann
Accessible data visualizations are crucial to reaching a wide audience and supporting the decision making processes. With increasing support of WebGL and the new HTML5 standard, the Internet becomes an interesting platform for visualization and data analysis. In contrast to standalone applications, WebGL-based visualizations are easily accessible, cross-platform compatible, and do not require additional software installation. In this work, we propose a WebGL-based visualization that combines various web technologies to interactively explore, analyze, and communicate environmental geodata. As an application case study, we chose an energy consumption dataset for Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Our study highlights the power of web visualizations and how they can support decision making in collaborative environments.
An Interactive Visualization Approach to Explore Mass Variations in the Earth System
(The Eurographics Association, 2014) Rawald, Tobias; Sips, Mike; Sasgen, Ingo; Dransch, Doris; Olaf Kolditz and Karsten Rink and Gerik Scheuermann
We present an approach that supports the visual exploration of mass variations in the Earth system in space and time. In close collaboration with geo-scientists, we identified important requirements for our exploration tool. Using a combination of three-dimensional spheres, we enable them to compare the differences between simulated mass variations and the measured gravity field. Since these variations change over time, we developed a tool that allows to navigate the temporal scale. In addition, we supply a mechanism to dynamically activate/deactivate multiple components of the simulation model applied. These features enable scientists to better understand the impact of the individual processes on the measured Earth's gravity field. In this paper, we discuss in detail the geo-scientific requirements and how our tool addresses these requirements.
Point-Based Rendering of Forest LiDAR
(The Eurographics Association, 2014) Simons, Lance; He, Stewart; Tittman, Peter; Amenta, Nina; Olaf Kolditz and Karsten Rink and Gerik Scheuermann
Airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) is an increasingly important modality for remote sensing of forests. Unfortunately, the lack of smooth surfaces complicates visualization of LiDAR data and of the results of fundamental analysis tasks that interest environmental scientists. In this paper, we use multi-pass point-cloud rendering to produce shadows, approximate occlusion, and a non-photorealistic silhouette effect which enhances the perception of the three-dimensional structure. We employ these techniques to provide visualizations for evaluating two analysis techniques, tree segmentation and forest structure clustering.
Utilizing GeoTemCo for Visualizing Environmental Data
(The Eurographics Association, 2014) Jänicke, Stefan; Scheuermann, Gerik; Olaf Kolditz and Karsten Rink and Gerik Scheuermann
We demonstrate the use of the open source library GeoTemCo for the visualization and exploration of geospatialtemporal datasets from environmental sciences. With use cases from biodiversity, climatology and geophysics we investigate the capabilities and limitations of GeoTemCo, which types of research questions can be handled and how the observer is able to gain new insights about the given data.
Simulating Urban Environments for Energy Analysis
(The Eurographics Association, 2014) Weber, Gunther H.; Johansen, Hans; Graves, Daniel T.; Ligocki, Terry J.; Olaf Kolditz and Karsten Rink and Gerik Scheuermann
We present new prototype tools for optimizing building solar energy impacts in urban regions, to enable better real-time control and policy decisions for energy supply and demand response. The concept is demonstrated with a prototype that estimates the amount of direct sunlight available to building surfaces in complex urban landscapes, taking into consideration local weather predictions (via cloud cover simulation). We also calculate partial shadows from visual obstructions, due to their effect on the availability of solar energy and building energy usage. The prototype has the potential to make better day-ahead predictions that can help balance energy supply and demand during peak load hours. This can lead to better strategies for control of heating, air conditioning and alternatives (such as local energy storage in batteries or co-generation) to offset peak energy demand. However, in addition it can be used as a statistical optimization tool for informing local policy decisions related to solar energy incentives and demand response programs. We apply the approach to a prototype calculation on models of a hypothetical city and a section of downtown San Francisco. We briefly discuss optimization opportunities in response to the variability and uncertainty in solar energy for individual buildings in an urban landscape.
Animation of Clouds Based on the Interpolation of Weather Forecast Data
(The Eurographics Association, 2014) Hufnagel, Roland; Held, Martin; Olaf Kolditz and Karsten Rink and Gerik Scheuermann
We present a novel algorithm for interpolating discrete cloud data of numerical weather forecasts over time. The interpolation provides a continuous natural transition of the cloud properties over time intervals of several hours. A diffusion-free advection scheme transports cloud properties through the wind field. The algorithm is designed to be embedded in a rendering loop and provides the basis for employing cloud modeling techniques for creating temporal cloud animations of the future weather.

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