Evaluating Climate Visualization: An Information Visualization Approach -By Mridul Sen 1

Credit: out-after-the-pole-melted.html 2

Contents Authors Introduction Background Tools Climate visualization Future directions A Year in the Life of Earth's CO2 (Video) Conclusion 3

Authors Jimmy Johansson, Senior Lecturer in Information Visualization, Linköping University. Tina-Simone Schmid Neset, Assistant professor, The Department of Thematic Studies -Environmental Change, Linköping university. Bjorn-Ola Linner´, Professor, Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research (CSPR)Environmental Change Linköping university, Sweden. 4

Introduction  Use of information visualization for climate visualization for better understanding of visualization tools and techniques and also how the previous methods in information visualization can be applied to climate visualization.  Collaboration between climate, visualization and human-computer interaction.  In-depth understanding of climate visualization. 5

Detailed analysis and communication of climate change issues and research results. The three interlinked research areas of climate visualization. Credit: 6

Background  Key challenges :  Complexity of societal and environmental systems.  Vast amount of heterogeneous data on spatial and temporal scales.  Rapid development of computational power and graphics to boost the representation of large datasets.  Information visualization approach was made but tools were not enough to give scientific evaluations details.  Plaisant’s evaluation categories :  Controlled experiments comparing design elements.  (Qualitative) usability evaluation of a tool. Most frequently used in literature.  Controlled experiments comparing several tools. Least used in literature.  Case studies of tools in realistic settings. 7

ICEWeb This tool lets researchers exchange and edit climate data through an easy-to-use web application. ICEDome This is a software environment for large scale visualization and functions as a framework for development of new visualization techniques. The focus is on using massive multi- dimensional and time variate data as well as on integrating mixed media in highly interactive, immersive, environments. 8

CLIMATE VISUALIZATION After identification of challenges within climate communication, scientists have taken approach based on the selection of data, their visual representation and the creation of narratives. Large datasets and complex modelling. Complexity of interlinked areas of studies including chemistry, oceanography, biology, physics etc. Narratives in climate visualization. 9

Ocean currents and temperatures on the NASA Science Visualization Wall at NASA Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Md. Credit: 10

The Worldview project  provide details based on scientifically validated data to communicate the complexity of climate change and interaction with audience.  In 2008, Researchers of Linkoping University, the Norrkoping Visualization Centre and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute started the world view project. 11

In 2009,several presentations of 30 minutes were held in immersive dome environment. Credit: 12

 Previously performed evaluations  Priority given on data, representation, narrative, narrator and presentation environments.  Conducted with heterogeneous groups.  Questions based on novelty, aesthetics and understanding of the visual representations. 13

For visual representation, Volume bar chart was used. Illustrations of climate visualization, using extruded regions with different colour maps to convey information on a regional and global scale using example data sets. Credit: 14

Future Directions Depth knowledge on the effectiveness and efficiency of climate visualization. Controlled experiments comparing elements: Evaluation of colour maps. evaluation of how effective and efficient different graphical primitives. Assessment of interaction technique. evaluation of how uncertainties and variations in research data are conveyed by the visual representations. effectiveness and efficiency of advanced illumination models. 15

(Qualitative) usability evaluation of a tool: Web-based platforms and their applicability for uploading displaying and sharing various data sets for a number of research areas. Tools for dome presentations, their interactivity and compatibility for different data formats. Controlled experiments comparing two or more tools. Case studies of tools in realistic settings. 16

A Year in the Life of Earth's CO2 video-carbon-dioxide-global-warming-climate-environment/ video-carbon-dioxide-global-warming-climate-environment/ Credit: news.nationalgeographic.com news.nationalgeographic.com 17

CONCLUSION Beneficial for the researchers as the interactive tools helps in communication, analysis, planning and decision making. Developing and improving existing tools for efficiency and effects of visual representations of climate change related issues. Visualization for large variety of audiences. 18