Web-based 3D Meteo Visualization: 3D Rendering Farms from a New Perspective

Abstract

We present an approach to highly responsive and interactive web-based 3D meteorological visualization. We describe important technical aspects of the current proof-of-concept implementation that leverages a 3D rendering farm. The work has been motivated by high demands of operational weather forecasters on ease of use of such a tool, quick system responsiveness and low operational end-to-end latency, instantaneous navigation in forecast-time (max. 5 seconds to navigate over 50 timesteps), and other challenging requirements considering the meteo data volumes and complexity of 3D visualization processing. We had limited computer resources but were allowed to spend any time needed in the back-end processing to maximize the responsiveness of the front-end (web-portal). Our goal was not to implement a perfect system, but to design a suitable architecture and implement a responsive system filled with 2D and 3D visualization products of operational NWP (numerical weather prediction) model runs for testing by forecasters and discovering good use-cases for 3D in operations. We succeed in bringing conventional 2D and 3D visualizations together in one web-portal. Customized visualizations layouts can be created to depict a certain atmospheric phenomenon. The webportal provides display of all 3D products (pre-rendered) also as VR (virtual reality) images through the web-browser. The user can instantaneously rotate the camera-view on 3D products and rotate the vertical cross-sections in the web-browser. The system when used on a 3D high-end workstation with VR display provides fully interactive VR data exploration of any given 3D visualization product shown in the 3D preview in the web-portal. Although from today’'s perspective (modern browsers, Web-GL and cloud 3D computing/visualization technologies) our approach of rigorously pre-rendering 3D products might seem unnecessary, the contrary is true. The pre-rendered 3D views off-line in back-end (pre-caching) make sure the user will not suffer a poor web-portal responsiveness on-line.