Solutions

Planetary Science

Highly detailed 3D reconstructions from satellite and ground-based sensor data enable geologists to analyze the geological properties of distant celestial objects such as Mars. Geological interpretations are an important part of this, providing answers to questions such as the history of planets, the probability of earlier water deposits or possible locations for bio-signatures. For this purpose, we provide interactive tools that allow comprehensive exploration as well as various measurements and annotations on high-resolution 3D models down to the smallest detail.

PRo3D interactive 3D visualization tool for planetary research

Developed to support NASA and ESA missions, PRo3D ("Planetary Robotics 3D Viewer") allows easy navigation through high-resolution 3D reconstructions of planetary surfaces from orbiter and Mars Rover camera images with the ability to document and analyze geological structures on digital surface models.

Tunnel construction

For the construction of tunnels, it is essential to analyse exactly what the rock in which you are going to drill is made of and what its special properties are. This is a question of safety as well as of estimating costs and time. Digital systems which allow the annotation of high-precision 3D reconstructions of the working face are the ideal complement to on-site analysis.

Interactive monitoring systems for tunnel constructions

The Geotunnel Viewer, developed in collaboration with our industrial partner Geodata, integrates information from sensor data with 3D scenes. The viewer creates a combined, user-friendly presentation of the respective geological conditions and also allows efficient comparisons. As special features, the interactive monitoring tool offers data-driven navigation and a virtual reality mode.

Classification of Spinel Minerals

Minerals from the spinel group provide useful information about the geological environment in which the rocks were formed and therefore play an important role in the search for economically interesting mineral deposits. In cooperation with partners from Argentina, we were able to significantly improve the analysis and classification process of spinels: our solution requires only a few minutes to analyze minerals. It combines well-known principles of interactive visual analysis (e.g. coordinated multiple views) and diagrams that are usually used for analyzing minerals of the spinel group. A web-based solution is being developed by our partners in Argentina.

Reference publication

Our research work with spinel minerals and the technologies we use for a holistic interactive visual analysis have already been presented at renowned conferences and as scientific papers. Most recently: M. L. Ganuza, G. Ferracutti, F. Gargiulo, S. M. Castro, E. A. Bjerg, E. Gröller, K. Matković (2017): Interactive Visual Categorization of Spinel-Group Minerals; SCCG '17: Proceedings of the 33rd Spring Conference on Computer Graphics

Projects

Publications