Visual Analysis of Geo-spatial Data in 3D Terrain Environments using Focus+Context

Abstract

Visual analysis of geo-spatial data represented within a three-dimensional frame of reference is a challenging task. Focus+ Context is a common concept that aids this process. This paper addresses the question, how Focus+Context can be applied to a visualization of multivariate weather data along with 3D terrain data. For this purpose, the focus can be specified with regard to both, the terrain and the weather data, utilizing different strategies. Based on the specified focus, the associated context is derived automatically. Data within focus is emphasized, whereas context information is shown with less detail. To this end, various rendering strategies are proposed. We demonstrate our approach by several examples that were generated by the Focus+Context functionality of our visual analytics tool TedaVis.