A computer model that lets climate researchers feel the complex interactions of weather helps them understand how climate works more than purely visual maps. A haptic device built by SensAble Technologies gives feedback based on the forces depicted in the model. Instead of simply symbols on the map, that can get overwhelming to the viewer, these maps give complex variables physical properties that give users an added dimension for better understanding.
The system is called Climate Exploration and Visualization (CEVIS) has been tested with various researchers and results show that people understood the data much better using this system. A paper on CEVIZ will be presented this week at the IEEE Virtual Reality 2008 conference in Reno, Nev. You can read more about this technology in a story in New Scientist.
