MINERVA: Mars INteractive Exploration based on Reconstruction and Visual Analysis

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MINERVA is an integrated framework for planetary scientists allowing members of different instrument teams to cooperate synergistically in virtual workspaces by sharing observations, analyses and annotations of heterogonous mission data.

Bild des Dashboards des Minerva Prototyps

A dashboard from the MINERVA prototype. The MINERVA prototype consists of three tightly integrated components: a data base for scientific data products that also maintains analysis results, a 3D visualization engine and a non-spatial visualization component.

Bild einer 3D Simulation mit einem Computerprogramm

Pro3D: As part of the planned 3D GIS functionality, pins show measurement positions of different instruments in the 3D reconstruction of Cape Desire at the Victoria Crater. Blue ones indicate spectra and red ones radar data. A preview of one spectrum is shown as billboard. The yellow and green lines are part of a geological interpretation. Data courtesy USGS/NASA/JPL/Caltech/ASU

The ExoMars 2020 mission will provide a heterogeneous set of data from different instruments captured on the surface of Mars. It encompasses different types of imagery, various spectra, ground-penetrating radar observations, and lab examinations of samples. The goal of MINERVA is to provide planetary scientists with an integrated framework that supports a comprehensive, holistic and efficient analysis of this wealth of heterogeneous science data. New interactive visualization methods considering semantics, meta-information and data modalities are investigated. The tight interoperation of a 3D explorer with GIS functionality and a visual analytics component will allow insights, which would be hard or impossible to obtain using isolated methods. For more information visit the official website.

Components

The MINERVA prototype consists of three tightly integrated components:

1. A database for scientific data products that also maintains analysis results.
2. A 3D Visualization Engine (PRo3D, Figure 2) to explore surface reconstructions and make extensive geological/morphologic interpretations using a variety of interactive measurement tools. PRo3D also offers important GIS functionalities such as orthographic view, superimposed rover tracks and data locations.
3. A non-spatial visualization component for in-depth investigation of data, to discover relations, properties and coherencies otherwise hidden.

Components
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Contact

Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Christoph Traxler

Area Coordinator Smart Worlds & Head of GeoSMAQ, Geospatial Visualization, Semantic Modelling, and Acquisition Group

traxler(at)vrvis.at +43 1 908 98 92 520

Project Details

Start: 07.2018

End Date: 12.2019

Partners

Joanneum, EOX

Funded by

FFG ASAP

PRo3D, short for Planetary Robotics 3D Viewer, is an interactive 3D visualization tool that allows planetary researchers to work with high-resolution 3D reconstructions of the surface of Mars.

Former projects