Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Computer Science
Committee Chair
Haeyong Chung
Committee Member
Manil Maskey
Committee Member
Jingshu Chen
Research Advisor
Haeyong Chung
Subject(s)
Information visualization, Data sets, Natural disasters--Simulation methods
Abstract
Communicating large datasets in ways that are appealing to non-scientific audiences has been a recent focus of big data visualization. Interest has grown for using 3D environments with game-like structures and immersive technology like AR and VR since they are more engaging. We introduce a method, based on the structure of the datasets and domain knowledge of the natural phenomena, for transforming public National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth datasets into 3D narrative data visualizations, specifically of disaster events. Two visualizations were created using this method: one of the KNP Complex Wildfire in 2021 and one of Hurricane Beryl in 2024. An expert review was conducted to evaluate the method and visualizations. A user study was also conducted to compare the effectiveness of the method in both 2D and 3D based on criteria such as engagement, comprehension, emotional impact, and more, ultimately confirming if this method works better in 3D as intended.
Recommended Citation
Bleisch, Connor, "Transformation of public Earth datasets for 3D narrative visualization of disaster events" (2026). Theses. 806.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/806