icicle plots and incorporating new features such as dynamic diagram and active layer, we developed an interactive visualization that allows the user to selectively drill down or roll up to review different levels of data in a large hierarchy, to change the hierarchical
structure to detect potential patterns, and to maintain an overall understanding of the
current hierarchical structure.
especially in the field of education and research. Although many MDC applications are
available, almost all of them are tailor-made for a very specific task in a very specific
field (i.e. health, traffic, weather forecasts, …etc.). Since the main users of these apps are
researchers, physicians or generally data collectors, it can be extremely challenging for
them to make adjustments or modifications to these applications given that they have
limited or no technical background in coding. Another common issue with MDC
applications is that its functionalities are limited only to data collection and storing. Other
functionalities such as data visualizations, data sharing, data synchronization and/or data updating are rarely found in MDC apps.
This thesis tries to solve the problems mentioned above by adding the following
two enhancements: (a) the ability for data collectors to customize their own applications
based on the project they’re working on, (b) and introducing new tools that would help
manage the collected data. This will be achieved by creating a Java standalone
application where data collectors can use to design their own mobile apps in a userfriendly Graphical User Interface (GUI). Once the app has been completely designed
using the Java tool, a new iOS mobile application would be automatically generated
based on the user’s input. By using this tool, researchers now are able to create mobile
applications that are completely tailored to their needs, in addition to enjoying new
features such as visualize and analyze data, synchronize data to the remote database,
share data with other data collectors and update existing data.
Building on prior research, the current three-part study, first demonstrates the capabilities of single and dual Doppler lidar retrievals in capturing downslope windstorm-type flows occurring at Arizona’s Barringer Meteor Crater as a part of the METCRAX II field experiment. Next, to address the need for a reliable and computationally efficient vector retrieval for adaptive wind farm control applications, a novel 2D vector retrieval based on a variational formulation was developed and applied on lidar scans from an offshore wind farm and validated with data from a cup and vane anemometer installed on a nearby research platform. Finally, a novel data visualization technique using Mixed Reality (MR)/ Augmented Reality (AR) technology is presented to visualize data from atmospheric sensors. MR is an environment in which the user's visual perception of the real world is enhanced with live, interactive, computer generated sensory input (in this case, data from atmospheric sensors like Doppler lidars). A methodology using modern game development platforms is presented and demonstrated with lidar retrieved wind fields. In the current study, the possibility of using this technology to visualize data from atmospheric sensors in mixed reality is explored and demonstrated with lidar retrieved wind fields as well as a few earth science datasets for education and outreach activities.
In this Barrett Honors Thesis, I developed a model to quantify the complexity of Sankey diagrams, which are a type of visualization technique that shows flow between groups. To do this, I created a carefully controlled dataset of synthetic Sankey diagrams of varying sizes as study stimuli. Then, a pair of online crowdsourced user studies were conducted and analyzed. User performance for Sankey diagrams of varying size and features (number of groups, number of timesteps, and number of flow crossings) were algorithmically modeled as a formula to quantify the complexity of these diagrams. Model accuracy was measured based on the performance of users in the second crowdsourced study. The results of my experiment conclusively demonstrates that the algorithmic complexity formula I created closely models the visual complexity of the Sankey Diagrams in the dataset.
Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing (JMARS) is a geospatial software that provides mission planning and data-analysis tools with access to orbital data for planetary bodies like Mars and Venus. Using JMARS, terrain scenes can be prepared with an assortment of data layers along with any additional data sets. These scenes can then be exported into the JMARS extended reality platform, which includes both augmented reality and virtual reality experiences. JMARS VR Viewer is a virtual reality experience that allows users to view three-dimensional terrain data in a fully immersive and interactive way. This tool also provides a collaborative environment for users to host a terrain scene where people can analyze the data together. The purpose of the project is to design a set of interactions in virtual reality to try and address these questions: (1) how do we make sense of larger complex geospatial datasets, (2) how can we design interactions that assist users in understanding layered data in both an individual and collaborative work environment, and (3) what are the effects on the user’s cognitive overload while using these interfaces.