This group picture is an anaglyph that can be viewed in 3D with red/blue stereo glasses. SCEC Scientists wear polarizing stereo goggles to view the 3D images projected by Geowall.

They may not have PhD’s but they’re about to change how SCEC scientists and others see the world. The 2002 summer interns at USC are not the typical earth-science pedigree that SCEC has had in the past (only one is studying earth science). Instead, they hail from backgrounds in computer science and labor at Sun Unix computers writing computer codes which will allow three-dimensional (3D) visualization of very large datasets. Such representation will allow easier interpretation of the data both by scientists and the public.

The group of graduate and undergraduate students has 10 weeks after which they will present their results at the SCEC Annual Meeting. They’re laying the groundwork for how geologic phenomena are visualized. While the idea of modeling in 3D is not new to the field, the interns’ task is to establish a foundation which will help standardize and simplify the process.

One of the goals for the group this summer is to produce a new type of map that shows recent Southern California earthquakes in real-time. Such a program would draw data from online databases, and refresh itself frequently so that new earthquakes become visible as soon as they are recorded. What is new is that the map will be 3D, and the user will be able to rotate the image or zoom in or out to see more detailed views of earthquakes and the faults that they are near.

The interns are also striving to create digital topographical maps that can be easily draped with various maps produced by SCEC and other agencies. This feature could give the public, students and scientists a new perspective on how the objects they map fit into the topography of the region.

In addition to rendering 3D images of the southern California fault system, the intern team has built a “Geowall” (www.geowall.org) 3D projection system. Geowall projects two polarized images (slightly different for each eye) that create the illusion of three dimensions when a viewer wears special glasses. Unlike other 3D projection systems, the Geowall is portable and priced reasonably enough to be used on a broader scale. In addition to projecting computer graphics, a special dual-camera system will allow pictures (of people, faults, research sites, etc.) to be viewed in 3D using Geowall as well.

An in-progress 3D model of Southern California fault systems and recent earthquakes. The surface is topographically accurate, the faults are represented by planes and the earthquakes are shown as spheres. Some work is still needed to match the topography with the faults and earthquake locations.