Four dimensional weather visualization

The National Weather Service with other government agencies is developing a four dimensional weather data cube that will incorporate present and forecast weather data into a single authoritative cube. However, visualizing this weather cube is yet to be addressed. ITT-VIS is developing a tool to allow weather data consumers the ability to view three spatial dimensions (x,y,z) over time in a 4-D paradigm. Using the power of object graphics and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) technology in the IDL programming language, ITT is developing a weather data visualization application that will allow the end user full access to weather data such as forecasts and historical meteorological databases available on the internet. Potential applications include agricultural and military weather forecasting, airplane crash reconstruction, academic model analysis, and aviation flight planning. An overview of the software architecture, uses cases and scenarios, and prototype demonstration is presented.