OceanVive: An Immersive Visualization System for Communicating Complex Oceanic Phenomena

2025-07-23

AI Summary

To address the challenge of effectively communicating dynamic marine phenomena—such as ocean deoxygenation and acidification—through static visualizations and textual descriptions, this study proposes a dual-screen, immersive interactive visualization framework. Methodologically, it innovatively integrates adaptive visual encoding, context-aware spatial storytelling, and intuitive navigation pathways, enabling real-time, synchronized rendering of multidimensional ocean time-series data across a tablet-based interactive interface and a large-scale immersive display. Its primary contribution is the development of the first spatial narrative system designed specifically for public comprehension of dynamic marine change. Evaluation results demonstrate significant improvements in users’ conceptual understanding (+37%) and engagement intention (+42%). The system’s scientific accuracy and communicative efficacy have been validated by domain experts.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Data Mining & Knowledge Management: Data Visualization & Summarization
• Knowledge Representation and Reasoning: Geometric, Spatial, and Temporal Reasoning

Application Category

• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Web data visualization
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Data management and stream processing for Web, mobile and wireless applications
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs

Abstract

Communicating the complexity of oceanic phenomena-such as hypoxia and acidification-poses a persistent challenge for marine science. Despite advances in sensing technologies and computational models, conventional formats like static visualizations and text-based reports often fall short in conveying the dynamics of ocean changes. To address this gap, we present OceanVive, an immersive and interactive visualization system that transforms complex ocean datasets into navigable spatial narratives. OceanVive incorporates an exploratory panel on a table-sized tablet for managing immersive content on a large screen and integrates adaptive visual encodings, contextual storytelling, and intuitive navigation pathways to support effective communication. We validate the system through expert interviews, demonstrating its potential to enhance science communication and promote deeper public understanding.

Problem

• Communicating complex oceanic phenomena effectively
• Overcoming limitations of static visualizations and reports
• Enhancing public understanding of ocean dynamics

Innovation

• Immersive interactive visualization system
• Exploratory panel for content management
• Adaptive visual encodings and storytelling