Center of Higher Learning
High Performance Visualization Center
Buoy Data Visualization
Denise Runnels
Supreeya Miller
Sharif Khalid
Goals
• Visual Representation of Buoy Data
• Prototype for NDBC
Topics of Discussion
• NDBC portrayal of data
• Hardware and software tools used
• Our portrayal of data
National Data Buoy Center
• NDBC is part of the National Weather Service (NWS)
• “Develops, operates and maintains a network of buoy and coastal-marine automated network (C-MAN) stations” that NWS uses in preparing forecasts
NDBC Data Collected:
• Air temperature
• Sea surface temperature
• Wave direction, heights and periods
• Wind speed, direction, and gust
• Barometric pressure
• Station visibility
• Date and time
Raw Buoy Data
• So far this data is represented as a collection of numbers and static strip charts.
Visualize Buoy Data
• We can combine computer graphical tools with the buoy data to make a real time moving image that has more innate meaning than the raw data alone.
Hardware Tools
• SGI Onyx2
• Linux workstations
Software Tools
• C and C++
• OpenGL• OpenGL is an open visualization software package
• Compatible with several different machine platforms and is therefore relatively portable
• Text Font library
Raw Buoy Data
These tools combined with this data becomes …
Air and Sea Surface Temperature
Wave Data Representation
Wave Height
Wind Speed & Direction
Gust Speed & Direction
Mouse Clicks
Future Plans
•We are working on several interactive options for the user such as:
•Varying the speed (Human factor engineering)
•Different day and night effects
•Choice of which buoy station the data comes from by clicking on a map