Van Noten, Koen

published in EOS, Transactions AGU, 97, pp. 16-19 (2016)

Abstract: If you could fly around your research results in three dimensions, wouldn’t you like to do it? Visualizing research results properly during scientific presentations already does half the job of informing the public on the geographic framework of your research. Many scientists use Google Earth mapping service because it’s a great interactive mapping tool for assigning geographic coordinates to individual data points, localizing a research area, and draping maps of results over Earth’s surface for displaying the results in three dimensions. Yet scientists often do not fully explore the Google Earth™ platform. Visualizations of research results in vertical cross sections through these maps are often not shown at the same time as the maps. However, a few tutorials to display cross-sectional data in Google Earth do exist, and the workflow is rather simple. By importing cross-sectional data into in the open software SketchUp Make, any spatial model displaying research results can be exported to a vertical figure in Google Earth. Here I explain an easy workflow, give some tips, show a tutorial and discuss some of the endless applications of the method. This workflow will give your research results better spatial visibility and allows more dynamic scientific presentations during your next conference.

Keyword(s): Science Visualization ; Google Earth ; Tutorial
DOI: 10.1029/2016EO044499
Links: link
Funding: FNRS PDR T.0116.14/FNRS PDR T.0116.14/FNRS PDR T.0116.14