An interactive 4D spatio-temporal visualization system for hydrometeorological data in natural disasters.

Dynamic visualization of multidimensional hydrometeorological data is vital for decision-makers to catch situational awareness and command an emergency response in natural disasters. Nevertheless, few software tools can comprehensively visualize hydrometeorological data in different scales, dimensions, and time. In this paper, an interactive 4D spatio-temporal visualization system based on a virtual globe is proposed. Voxel-based data model and multi-level index are adopted to organize the field data in a unified data structure. Meanwhile, it is resampled in both spatial and temporal dimensions in memory to prepare smooth data stream for rendering. Ten field models, including large-scale volume rendering and adaptive streamline rendering, are accelerated and integrated to display the field data collaboratively. The profile analysis and eddy tracking improve user experience in interactively exploring specific scenes. The system is tested against both large-scale meteorological data in the atmosphere and small-scale hydrological data at the surface, using typhoon landfall and riverine flood, respectively. The results demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of the system to dynamically visualize hydrometeorological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]