Coastal Shelf Visualization using VTK and OpenDX of Hydro-Informatic Numerical Models

Abstract

Scientific visualization has an important role in climate change analysis, especially by creating dynamic interactive environments. The earth sciences, such as oceanography, utilize many numerical models; experts wish to quickly try out different scenarios and explore various possible outcomes. However, many experts still rely upon two-dimensional slices and non-interactive computer graphics to perform their analysis. Subsequently, there is a strong argument to understand current practices, learn from other disciplines and develop appropriate interactive methods to visualize and explore complex hydro-informatics. First, this paper presents a discussion of two prototype visualization tools that were developed to represent coastal shelf tidal flow data where the data was simulated using TELEMAC-2D numerical model datasets. Prototype 1 was developed using OpenDX and Prototype 2 with VTK. Second, various strengths and and weaknesses of each system are discussed, especially in their use for exploratory oceanographic visualization. Finally, practical solutions of how both were implemented are described. Consequently, this paper provides practical and scientific guidelines that other oceanographic developers can utilize for future work.