IRC Environmental e-Science
Linking Environmental e-Science in the Lab
and in the Field
“One vision for future
environmental science is
that data can be
captured from arrays of
sensors .”
One vision for future environmental science is that data can be captured from
arrays of sensors deployed throughout the environment, integrated with other
data sources and accessed on a global scale by scientists able to visualise,
manipulate and share the data from any location on the planet. To realise the
full potential, current approaches to observation, visualisation and simulation
need to be enhanced and integrated with networked automated capture and
sensing and with diverse fixed and mobile interfaces that support collaboration
and remote access to data and other resources.
This need aligns closely with the capabilities of the Equator Interdisciplinary
Research Collaboration (IRC). Building on recent advances in virtual reality,
augmented reality, mobile, wireless and ubiquitous computing, Equator is
developing techniques to merge the physical and the digital. The Equator IRC
brings expertise in (amongst other areas):
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Collaborative Virtual Environments allowing users to share
3D virtual environments over a network
Interactive visualisation allowing users to undertake
visualisation and 3D modelling and rendering in real time
Tracking and sensing technologies and mobile computing
allowing integration of mobile devices and tracking and
sensing technologies, as well as interfaces to mobile displays
including PDAs and laptops over wireless LAN and to
mobile phones.
Based on the Equator IRC foundations the aim of the project,
Advanced Grid Interfaces for Environmental e-Science in the Lab and
in the Field is to develop advanced interfaces to support
collaborative and immersive information visualisation, data capture
and mobile access from the physical environment. Specific objectives
The Vestfold Hills showing some of the
frozen lakes
are to:
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Develop an infrastructure for collaborative information visualisation
Extend this infrastructure with support for access 'in the field’
Demonstrate this infrastructure through two complementary
applications in the area of environmental science:
- the study of pollution monitoring in urban environments
- the study of carbon cycling in Antarctic lakes
Promote the dissemination and uptake of the results through public
awareness as well as research collaborations
Building on previous work with collaborative virtual environments, the project
will integrate Grid technologies, including Globus, to network high-end
visualisation systems, such as the UCL's Reactor and the University of
Nottingham's Reality Centre. The intent is to develop interactive visualisation,
supporting scalable data visualisation algorithms, large-scale 3D models, and
supporting real-time discussion and asynchronous messaging and annotation
capabilities. The resulting Grid infrastructure will be extended to incorporate
data from remote sensors that are deployed in the physical world and to enable
mobile access by researchers as they move through the physical world.
Applications
Environmental science in urban environments
Modern cities face daunting problems of population density, transport
management and regeneration with both economic and social aspects.
Existing tools to understand the city, such as graphical modelling of the built
environment, simulation and mapping of transport flows and pollution
levels, tend to lead to isolated and relatively static models. The project is
collaborating with the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, the Departments
of Geomatic Engineering and Geography, and the Bartlett School of
Architecture and Planning at UCL to provide an integrated visualisation
system that will allow presentation of models at the urban scale on a range of
devices, from mobile PDA through to Reactor. A user physically present in the
urban environment will be able to collect data and to work interactively with
a remote colleague to visualise data concerning their common geographical
area.
Studying carbon cycling in Antarctic lakes
Drilling ice to sample water beneath
As a means to understand their delicate ecology - and whether it is changing a team at the University of Nottingham have been studying the movement of
carbon through the ecosystem, and in particular the relationship between
levels of carbon and the presence of plankton in eastern Antarctic freshwater
lakes. As part of their work, data on the physical nature of the environment
is collected during regular field excursions from the base at Davis to various
lakes in the Vestfold Hills, one of the most hostile environments on the
planet. By using Grid technology, data collection could be undertaken in a
safer, more continuous and timely manner. Field sensors could be used to
measure water depth, ice thickness, light, temperature and other conditions
both above and below the surface. The data can also be integrated with other
data sources, including existing databases of meteorological and UV data.
Finally, the analysis and modelling will benefit from more powerful
techniques and interfaces for visualising multiple datasets in real time.
More widely the project is expected to contribute to real time modelling and
visualisation in a wide range of industries, including financial services,
industrial control and the retail sector.
For further information contact
Dr Chris Greenhalgh, email cmg@cs.nott.ac.uk