EO4EU's XR (Extended Reality) system enhances the visualization and exploration of Earth Observation (EO) data through a web-based interface.
It includes an Augmented Reality (AR) component for real-world EO data analysis and a Virtual Reality (VR) component for 3D visualization on VR-supported hardware.
Optimized for EO data, both interfaces offer tools for user interaction, fostering a better understanding of environmental observations. The XR system utilizes the Web XR device API, facilitating seamless communication with other EO4EU applications for obtaining processed EO data.
This video demonstrates EO4EU's Virtual Reality functionality using MetaQuest. A pre-existing workflow in the EO4EU Platform was used based on EO4EU's use case on improving civil protection activities using acquired EO datasets
Innovation
The incorporation of Web XR/VR technology into the EO4EU dashboard interfaces marks a cutting- edge approach to visualizing EO data, providing an immersive experience for 3D imaging and geo- mapping with additional meteorological color mapping layers.
Within the EO4EU project, the Web XR/VR Interface for 3D Imaging and Geo-Mapping allows users to engage with EO data in a three-dimensional space, offering a novel and highly intuitive approach to understanding complex geospatial information, with potential future developments including enhanced interactivity, automated visualization, semantic annotation, multi-user collaboration, integration with AI/ML models, and accessibility considerations.
The integration of Web XR/VR technology into EO4EU dashboard interfaces represents a significant advancement in EO data visualization, and future developments have the potential to further enhance user engagement and provide richer contextual information within the XR/VR environment.
The functionality is also accessible on mobile. The video on the right shows a live demo from login via the EO4EU Platform, loading the ocean monitoring use case workflow which optimizes marine vessel routing and uses Sentinel-3 data. The app then blends the EO data into the user's surroundings via the user's own personal device.
Background
This transformative technology is realized through the integration of a pioneering open-source collaborative virtual reality framework detailed by Yusuf Sermet and Ibrahim Demir in their research on Geo-spatial VR. The framework enables the generation of intricate 3D real-world environments, encompassing terrain, infrastructure, and dynamic visualizations such as water and fire simulations.
Moreover, Ming-Hsiang Tsou and Christian Mejia's research expands the role of cartographers to user interface designers in the Metaverse, using XR technologies like VR, AR, and MR.
Infrastructural Needs
The minimum infrastructural needs to effectively run the XR/VR component are shown below:
- Computational Needs: 4 CPUs
- Memory Needs: 32 GB RAM
- Storage Needs: 100 GB
- GPU Needs: Medium