Abstract
Due to rapid technological development, virtual reality (VR) is becoming an accessible and important tool for many applications in science, industry, and economy. Being immersed in a 3D environment offers numerous advantages especially for the presentation of geographical data that is usually depicted in 2D maps or pseudo 3D models on the monitor screen. This study investigated advantages, limitations, and possible applications for immersive and intuitive 3D terrain visualizations in VR. Additionally, in view of ever-increasing data volumes, this study developed a workflow to present large scale terrain datasets in VR for current mid-end computers. The developed immersive VR application depicts the Arctic fjord Clyde Inlet in its 160 km × 80 km dimensions at 5 m spatial resolution. Techniques, such as level of detail algorithms, tiling, and level streaming, were applied to run the more than one gigabyte large dataset at an acceptable frame rate. The immersive VR application offered the possibility to explore the terrain with or without water surface by various modes of locomotion. Terrain textures could also be altered and measurements conducted to receive necessary information for further terrain analysis. The potential of VR was assessed in a user survey of persons from six different professions.
Highlights
Even in early human history, information from the Earth’s surface was presented in maps
This study examined the potential of virtual reality (VR) for the representation of very large terrain data based on the Canadian fjord Clyde Inlet
It could be shown that large, high-resolution terrain datasets can be visualized in a virtual reality application by incorporating tiling, level streaming, and level of detail (LOD) algorithms
Summary
Even in early human history, information from the Earth’s surface was presented in maps. Many tools are offered today to compensate for the lost third dimension These include, among others, hill shading techniques that evoke the relief of a landscape through illumination effects [1]. Another very common approach is virtual models visualized on a computer screen where the three-dimensional impression is received through rotation of the model [2]. In contrast to conventional visualizations of virtual 3D models, users are immersed in a computer-generated environment and information can be obtained much more intuitively and closer to reality. The oxymoron virtual reality is defined as “a realistic and immersive simulation of a three-dimensional environment, created using interactive software and hardware, and experienced or controlled by movement of the body” [3].
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