Evaluation of 3D geovisualization of volumetric geospatial data in the form of horizontal planes using selected software

Abstract

The main motivation of the paper is to provide an overview of 3D geovisualization capabilities of selected software and present selected methods of visualization of 3D geospa-tial data using horizontal planes. The paper is focused on the evaluation of software and meth-ods for the visualization of thematic geospatial data with an emphasis on visual analysis in 3D. Meteorological data of the ALADIN forecast model were used to create visualizations. The first part focuses on the evaluation of selected software in terms of 3D visualization capa-bilities. The evaluation encompasses software tools such as geographic information systems, web-based solutions, and 3D computer graphics software. The result is a comparison of these software in terms of suitability for visual analysis in 3D, for example in terms of spatial data support, 3D visualizations, or analytical functions. The second part is focused on the presen-tation of four methods of 3D data visualization using horizontal planes for visualizing thematic data, including single plane, multiple planes without transparency, multiple planes with trans-parency, and multiple planes overlay. These methods were evaluated based on graphical var-iables, both the original ones defined by Jacques Bertin and those added later by other car-tographers, to achieve the most optimal visual analysis in 3D. The article concludes by high-lighting the advantages and disadvantages of the different visualization methods, and their specifics in terms of graphical variables. The importance of interactive visualization environ-ments for fully utilizing the potential of these methods is emphasized.