Quantitative visualization of biological data in Google Earth using R2G2, an R CRAN package

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Bioinformatics
• Data Visualization

Background:

• Visualizing complex biological data spatially is crucial for ecological and evolutionary studies.
• Existing tools may lack integrated 3D visualization capabilities for diverse biological datasets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce R2G2, an R package designed for visualizing spatially explicit biological data.
• To leverage the Google Earth interface for enhanced biological data exploration and communication.

Main Methods:

• Development of the R2G2 package for the R CRAN.
• Integration of basic graph-editing features (dots, segments, polygons, images).
• Implementation of complex 3D visualizations including phylogenies, histograms, and pie charts.

Main Results:

• R2G2 enables visualization of biological data within the Google Earth interface.
• The package supports automated placement of various graphical elements.
• Demonstrated immediate benefits in communicating biological results through visual exploration.

Conclusions:

• R2G2 provides a user-friendly platform for visualizing complex, spatially explicit biological data.
• The integration with Google Earth facilitates intuitive exploration and communication of research findings.
• The package is extendable, encouraging further development by the user community.