Tornado Visualizer: Analyzing the Destructive Impact of Tornadoes in the United States

Abstract

We present a visual exploration system that supports investigating multifarious inquiries on trends in the destructive impact of tornadoes in the United States. Based on the publicly available data on storm events from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we designed linked views for all attributes that indicate destruction such as property damage, crop damage, and the numbers of deaths and injured people. Interactive filters support analyzing geospatial as well as temporal trends. The unique feature of our solution is our focus on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which has not yet been subject to related visual exploration environments. Our usage scenario documents the potential value of our system for a diversity of target users like urban planners or environmental scientists.