Using Immersive Virtual Reality: New Machines to Visualize Data

Christopher Moore
NOAA/PMEL/OCRD

The ImmersaDesk is a large format, projection-based virtual reality device for viewing and interacting with physical oceanographic and meteorological data in three dimensions and in stereo. This is the first deployment of any virtual reality hardware in NOAA, and as such, provides a test bed for the applicability of the technology to NOAA mission related research. Situated on NOAA's northwest regional campus, PMEL's ImmersaDesk is available to other members of the campus (including all the NOAA line organizations) and the University of Washington, with whom NOAA is affiliated through its Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Oceans (JISAO). "Scientific visualization, exploiting the brain's natural pattern recognition ability, is the best means available for making sense of large, complex scientific datasets." - P. Smith & J. van Rosendale (DOE/NSF) The PMEL Virtual Reality Laboratory developed three-dimensional (3D) stereo animations highlighting ocean and atmosphere dynamics for several NOAA projects for use at professional society meetings (AGU/Ocean Sciences, and AMS). These virtual reality simulations include data from the TAO buoy array, model output from the FOCI group of the Sitka, Shelikof, and Bering Sea regions, model output from the Vents group showing turbulent hydrothermal plumes, a modeled Japan Sea tidal wave from the Tsunami group, hurricane data from GFDL, and data from the University of Washington School of Oceanography's study of the Indonesian Throughflow. These interactive demonstrations allow users to explore the data sets that NOAA researchers utilize on a daily basis.

The ImmersaDesk will be available for viewing in large format, and it will act as a graphics server for a desktop stereo visualization demonstration concurrent with a separate abstract.

BIO - Christopher Moore Christopher started his grad school experience off doing numerical modeling and fluid dynamics experiments in the GFD Lab at the University of Washington. In June of '96 he finished a Master's degree in physical oceanography with Dr. Barbara Hickey. He focused on tides in Astoria canyon, located just off the southern Washington coast, and did some field work in the area. He also has experience at sea, including research cruises in the Chukchi Sea (for Dr. Knut Aagaard studying Arctic Ocean circulation), the coastal North Pacific (studying the newly-formed Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary), and Exuma Sound, The Bahamas. The latter two were for his advisor, Dr. Hickey. Currently, Christopher is working for the University of Washington out at the Western Regional Center of NOAA (the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration). He is doing data analysis and visualization techniques for oceanography. His latest creations are in VRML.... and he just got his Research Certification in NITROX SCUBA diving. He occasionally dives in Puget Sound, Willapa Bay, Coos Bay, and the Bahamas setting and maintaining oceanographic instrumentation for the UW Coastal Studies Group. He also volunteers for a non-profit educational organization called the Ocean Inquiry Project (OIP). He takes students out to experience oceanography first-hand.

Science Center Exhibit/Demo Tuesday - 10:00 - 10:15 A.M. Other demo times will be posted at the exhibit.