A VR-Ocean system for interactive geospatial analysis and 4D visualization of the marine environment around Antarctica

The development of the VR-Ocean system coincides with the first availability of more 2
than 15 years (1992–2009) of the merged altimeter data from up to four concurrent 3
satellite missions (Topex/Poseidon, ERS-1 and 2, ENVISAT, Jason-1, and Geosat 4
Follow-On) and ETOPO1 Ice Surface data (1 arc-minute global relief model of the 5
Earth's surface that integrates land topography and ocean bathymetry). In the polar- 6
region-oriented VR-Ocean system, the seabed and continental topography data south 7
of 45°S were organized in a circular area and rendered in the form of geometry 8
clipmaps. Maps of Sea-Level Anomalies (MSLA) data for the same district were 9
extracted and streamlined in time order. A memory-mapped file was used to 10
accelerate file loading speed, and sea surfaces of different times were rendered in turn 11
as a vertex buffer object (VBO) and accelerated by the graphic processing unit (GPU). 12
As a result, roaming anywhere at any angle of view and geospatial analysis are 13
interactively obtained and dynamically presented in real-time using the 4D VR-Ocean 14
system. As an attempt, we did a case study on ice melting and sea-level rise around 15
the Antarctic. This system is expected to make a significant contribution to the 16
description, understanding, prediction, and demonstration of 4D information and 17
properties on both regional and hemispheric scales in a virtual environment.