A Collaborative Web-Based Environmental Data Visualization and Analysis Framework

Abstract

We present an environmental data visualization framework that features synchronous and asynchronous multi-user interaction with all the benefits of modern web-based applications, such as easy accessibility and cross-platform compatibility. In contrast to outdated web-based network protocols, the proposed framework uses HTML5 Web- Sockets to enable full-duplex communication between server and clients. To demonstrate the framework, we chose the ecological problem of water scarcity in Africa. In this case study, water scarcity is calculated and visualized using various models and parameters, which can easily be shared among users and devices. Hence, we show the potential and the utilization of web technologies for collaborative environmental data exploration on distributed desktop and mobile devices.