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Abstract

The software platform SIEVE can be used to automatically build immersive and interactive 3D landscape environments from spatial data infrastructures. These environments can be viewed with SIEVE Viewer, the visualisation component, which also provides a virtual collaboration platform. We are currently developing an application platform within SIEVE that will interface with the Victorian eResearch Strategic Initiative (VeRSI) Ecoinformatics project on climate change.

SIEVE is used as a 3D visualisation front-end for a number of different climate change models. Landscape scenarios will show the visual impact and the impact on agricultural productivity of climate change dependent on temperature rise, precipitation change and solar radiation. SIEVE can show temporal changes through the decades between 2000 and 2050. Another feature of SIEVE is that it can show the predicted sea level rise in coastal areas. SIEVE has the capability to show realistic representations of existing vegetation with local vegetation species and manmade objects. This enables communities to view their landscapes and how they change over the decades to 2050. We also implemented an abstract/scientific visualisation path. This allows the end user to view climate variable maps as the ground texture and show stylised icons on the surface to show change in productivity. Landscapes models in SIEVE are integrated into a collaborative platform. End users can share environments through the Internet and inspect and discuss the virtual landscapes and ultimately make decisions to adapt to predicted future climate change scenarios. The climate data has been generated by models from Monash University, Victoria, Australia and productivity maps are generated by the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia. This paper's emphasis is on the presentation of the climate change maps in a collaborative virtual environment in SIEVE.

About the speaker

Christian Stock is a research fellow in the Department of Geomatics at the University of Melbourne. His research interests include visualization and simulation, landscape management, decision making processes, and immersive virtual multi-user worlds.