Multi-Resolution Data Trees for Interactive Lithosphere Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current visualization systems for the Earth's lithosphere require extensive data processing and storage to combine and manipulate different data sets, leading to reduced adaptability and interactivity, especially when rotating grid-based data through time.
Innovation Solution
A method using hierarchically organized multi-resolutional data trees with time-dependent geo-references allows for interactive rotation and manipulation of data during rendering, enabling the application of formulas to combine or replace data within data trees without pre-processing, reducing memory requirements and enhancing adaptability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data sets are combined and manipulated through extensive data processing and storage, then comprehensive visualization is achieved, but adaptability and interactivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lithosphere data into multiple hierarchical layers (surface layer, subsurface layers at different depths) with each layer represented as a separate data tree. This segmentation allows independent manipulation of each layer while maintaining overall visualization integrity, resolving the contradiction between comprehensive visualization and data adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic time rotation capability where grid-based data can be rotated through time interactively. The system allows users to rotate tectonic plates and geological features to different temporal positions while maintaining data relationships, providing both comprehensive visualization and adaptability through dynamic temporal manipulation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If grid-based data is rotated through time, then temporal analysis is enabled, but rendering speed and interactivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores rotation matrices for different time points before rendering is needed. These pre-computed rotation matrices are stored in memory and applied during interactive rotation, eliminating the need for real-time complex calculations and maintaining high rendering speed while enabling temporal analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from storing complete rotated data sets to storing rotation matrices and base data trees. This parameter transformation allows efficient application of temporal rotations through matrix multiplication rather than extensive data processing, maintaining interactivity while enabling temporal analysis.
3Adaptability or versatility
If formulas are applied to combine or replace data during rendering, then data manipulation flexibility is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces formulas as intermediary computational layers between the base data trees and the final visualization. These formulas act as mediators that combine or replace data from multiple sources according to user-defined rules, providing manipulation flexibility while keeping the underlying data structure simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows users to define and apply their own formulas for data manipulation during rendering. This self-service approach enables flexible data combination and replacement without requiring complex pre-processing or centralized control, as users can independently configure the manipulation logic according to their specific analysis needs.
Data Source
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Figure 2A~2B
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AI summary
A method for generating a model of a physical entity, in particular the earth, using one or more hierarchically organised multi-resolutional data trees T, each data tree comprising a plurality of nodes Nk, each node having a grid with a fixed number of points, wherein each node can store an arbitrary number of data items, each holding scalar field values for each point in the grid, the method comprising the steps of creating a geometry using one or more data trees; and creating an associated overlay using one or more data trees, wherein at least one of the geometry and overlay comprises a formula to be applied to data within one or more data trees. This enables manipulation of the data within the data trees during rendering and increases the adaptability of the model without an increase in the required memory space. In preferred embodiments the nodes of the data trees comprise time dependent geo- references to allow the data trees to be time rotated.