Bill Brody, ARSC Visualization
Researchh Specialist and Miho Aoki, ARSC/UAF Art Department Joint
Appointee
Story by Jenn Wagaman
Tsunamis are usually
generated by underwater earthquakes and land slides
that occur along active faults near continental margins
or subduction zones. A tsunami undergoes a transformation
as it leaves the deep water of the open ocean and moves
into the shallower water of the coastal areas in its
path. Its speed decreases and the amplitude of the
wave increases, while the wave length shortens.
Visual artists are trained to create images
that make sense to the human eye. Small changes in point of view,
color or shading can help a viewer understand an image that might
otherwise be unrecognizable. At the Arctic Region Supercomputing
Center, visual artists play an active role in helping scientists
understand and visually represent their data. To contribute to
this effort, ARSC visualization specialist Bill Brody has background
in not only computer science and mathematics, but also in art,
allowing him to provide unique contributions to ARSC visualizations.
In addition, artist Miho Aoki works jointly between ARSC and UAF’s
art department. Both of these experts work alongside other visualization
specialists to help create effective, accurate images and animations
for ARSC researchers.
As an artist and visualization specialist, Brody applies his
talents to animations and images for ARSC users. Most recently,
he worked with the Sea-Air-Land Modeling
and Observing Network (SALMON) project. Brody generated
a visualization that helped bring the computational data to life
with the help
and advice of the researchers. By working together, the researchers
and Brody were able to merge a complex dataset into an image that
can easily be understood.
“ Art is not a decoration,” says Brody. “Its
function in the service of scientific visualization is to bring
information to life.”
Creating Images that Educate
Miho Aoki created idealized
illustrations that demonstrate the mechanics of tsunami
wave generation. A tsunami wave may appear as a rapidly
falling tide or a rising tide that rushes up onto the
beach without breaking, causing devastation as it moves
inland and havoc as it retreats and carries off loose
objects and people in its path.
But not all images at ARSC are created solely for data interpretation.
Sometimes, scientists need images that can convey an idea or concept
to a specific audience.
Tsunami-expert Elena Suleimani recently joined forces with UAF’s
Alaska Sea Grant Communications Director Kurt Byers to develop
a way to educate rural Alaskans about the dangers of tsunami
events in coastal areas. The group needed animations that could
be included
in a video presentation to accurately represent how a tsunami
behaves both on shore and off. They contacted Aoki and asked her
to put
her skills to work on the project. The result is two animations,
one showing the propagation of the tsunami from its source, and
the other showing the run-up of the tsunami on shore.
“ These animations are illustrative, not data-driven,” says
Aoki. “The goal was to communicate the idea to the audience
rather than to make particular data visible.”
The researchers needed to show that as a tsunami wave approaches
land, the tide dramatically pulls away from the shore. Often, when
people see the beach scattered with fish and other debris, they
will walk onto the shore unaware of the approaching wave. Since
a tsunami can be hundreds of meters in height, these people are
risking their lives. Aoki’s animation shows how the wave
pulls the tide away and then washes it up again, covering everything
in its path.
