Exploratory Volumetric Deep Earth Visualization by 2.5D Interactive Compositing.

Area of Science:

• Geophysics and Earth Sciences
• Scientific Visualization
• Computational Geoscience

Background:

• Sophisticated algorithms for deep Earth volume datasets exist, but visualization methods require improvement for effective researcher interaction.
• Seismic tomography is a key technique for inferring deep Earth structure and processes, generating complex volumetric data.
• Current visualization approaches may not fully leverage the potential of these rich geoscience datasets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an improved, illustrative, and exploratory visualization method for global deep Earth volume datasets.
• To present a novel interactive graphical application suite and workflow for enhanced data analysis and researcher interaction.
• To enable better understanding of the Earth's deep interior structure, specifically the lithosphere.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel interactive graphical application suite.
• Implementation of an intuitive 2.5D layer compositing approach for data visualization.
• User control over data-slice separation, color mapping, opacity, and compositing for exploratory analysis.
• Output compatibility with immersive systems like dome displays.

Main Results:

• A functional application suite and workflow for interactive visualization of deep Earth data.
• Successful visualization of deep Earth structure beneath the Indian Ocean region as a case study.
• Demonstrated ability to adjust visualization parameters for detailed exploration and annotation of lithospheric architecture.

Conclusions:

• The developed application methodology offers a significant improvement for visualizing and interacting with global deep Earth volume datasets.
• The 2.5D layer compositing approach facilitates intuitive exploration of complex geoscience data.
• The methodology is anticipated to be valuable for diverse Earth science datasets and planetary exploration data.