Interactive Visualization of 3D NEXRAD Data in Virtual Reality

The proposed research uses virtual reality to improve the viewing, analysis, and communication of complex weather data. Extracting insights is currently a technically demanding task and the process excludes most non-technical users. Recently, the NOAA Big Data Project made significant progress to publish hundreds of terabytes worth of encoded weather measurements including raw NEXRAD radar volumes. This project will increase the accessibility and value of that effort by bringing that data into an immersive and multi-user visualization environment. Phase II will continue upon Phase I’s work toward commercialization by adding real-time interactivity and team collaboration features that directly solve many challenges stakeholders face when planning for or reacting to weather. This project will fundamentally transform the way weather data is communicated from the "blocky" 2D weather maps of yesterday to an immersive 3D analytics experience of tomorrow