Seeing the Unseen: Visualizing Flow Patterns of Mesopelagic Ocean Eddies

RECENT PROJECT DEVELOPMENTS:

• SUMMER 2018: The project will conclude this Fall with an independent study directed by Santiago Lombeyda in which students will  further develop the Augmented Reality project toward a working prototype.
• SPRING 2019: Maggie Hendrie & Jennifer May will present the project at the 2019 Interaction Design Education Summit in Seattle!

Research and Project Development

Building on their work in the ArtCenter/CalTech/JPL Data Visualization program, Lombeyda and Hendrie developed lectures, hands-on activities, in-class assignments, homework and prototyping. Students were presented with the challenge: understand, extract and communicate insights from the current eddy data into narrative, scientific and educational contexts, all while maintaining the integrity of the original data.

Lombeyda, who has partnered on visualizations with CalTech scientists for almost 20 years, outlined the role of visualization and how it pertains to the scientific world; students examined how data is ingested, the intuitive nature of presentations and analyzed best practices for effective interpretations that could include the latest methods from computing, user-centered design, interactive design and 3D graphics and printing.

Additionally, students evaluated data through an artistic lens, discovering how to effectively transform the veracity of the data into graphically effective designs and interpretations that would resonate emotionally with both a scientific community and public audiences.

Students also delved into the science of ocean eddies from one of the prominent researchers in the field, Dr. Larry Pratt of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, who has spent years researching these patterns. Throughout the course of the studio, Dr. Pratt engaged through Skype lectures, in-person visits, e-mail correspondence and one-on-one discussion meetings with the students. While Dr. Pratt was a partner in the studio, his presence was also that of a client for the students to consider.

Faculty led students through the Discovery process and structured participatory design research methods to facilitate student-expert sessions. Overall, students were challenged to design interactive and dynamic displays of complex information that would provide “insights into the invisible,” which is at the heart of effective data visualization.

Students analyzed how data has been traditionally represented through charts, graphs and design elements. They examined the thinking behind abstract data (which can include numerical sequencing) as well as 2D and 3D data (which can involve geometric shapes). Current models and hands-on assignments enabled the students to comprehend how a specifically detailed presentational visualization helps viewers understand, compare and make informed inferences from the data.

Students were exposed to informational layout of data (e.g. charts and graphs), paying attention to the correlation of the scale and size. They observed how data points can reveal specific data attributes depending on their position, orientation, shapes, color and texture as well as describing motion by vibration or deformation. They studied how to sort and format for the most effective ways to show trends, information and compilations in order to present a clear understandable snapshot of scientific findings.

Students also learned that humans process visual information more effectively and, often, more emotionally than text. Human brains are wired to make connections when introduced with a series of facts and information; this subconscious understanding is manifested in the layout of a smart phone scroll, the design of a billboard or how a newspaper is formatted.

Data visualization is often used for a purpose: to present a question and/or to prove a point. Insights used in a visual format must be well-constructed for meaning; students learned to avoid “chart junk” which are items that either don’t support the data or that are confusing/misleading.

Students were encouraged to sketch out ideas before using a computer to better understand the creative process. They also examined the different platforms and canvases to communicate data with varying degrees of interaction, multiple audiences and interactive techniques, including data journalism/advocacy and emerging technologies ART (Augmented Reality above the Tabletop) and CAR (Computer-Assisted Reporting).

Lombeyda curated an online Trello board where students posted weekly examples of both effective and confusing visualizations along with homework, in-class assignments, research items and project iterations.

Concurrently, students were introduced to the physics of ocean circulation; videos from space and NASA animation depicting eddies in motion provided a 2D experience. Students learned the various representative visualizations that describe the flow and movement of water; they analyzed the components of the vorticity of a curl along with other physical fluid concepts, especially noting how data can be presented as moving and directional.

Students examined how scientists visually label information about fluid movements via critical points when flows interact and/or intersect with one another, learning how these critical points are represented in 2D and 3D.

Lectures, in-class exercises and assignments reflected students’ grasp of the material and the scientific principles. Instructors encouraged the students to question their choices, always circling back to basic foundational questions: “Are the details necessary?” “What is working?” “What needs help?”

Class assignments included crafting/sculpting a 3D visual representation of a fluid flow, designing quick sketches and conceptual poster-sized images, data mapping for a specific story/takeaway, and more.

Engaging Working Scientists

A field trip to visit the Scripps Center for Oceanography’s R/V Sally Ride in San Diego Harbor led by Professor Matthew Alford of the Marine Physical Laboratory gave students an opportunity to engage with working research scientists who collect and analyze data. Students heard presentations from scientists at Scripps on their research and the roles that data and data visualization plays in their work. Dr. Gunnar Voet spoke about his observational work on Samoan Passage data and Professor Sutanu Sarkar described his work with high-resolution modeling in Fluid Dynamics.

Prior to the mid-term, faculty split students into four groups, who each created 15 idea sketches that would become the first steps toward their final projects. Students considered exploration of the actual scientific data or a more personal understanding of the chaotic nature of eddies.

As a team and through studio critique, they honed these initial thoughts down to three creative concepts which they presented at the mid-term. Ideation needed to showcase specific facts and truths, representing them with clear intention and gauging their impact on intended user types. One direction needed to focus on an analytical tool while another was to be more data-empathetic.

In addition to feedback from class instructors, student teams met with Dr. Pratt in person to discuss initial thoughts and concepts; Dr. Pratt advised each team on how to possibly refine or redirect their concepts using the scientific data collection and to consider the end user’s point of view.

At mid-term presentations, student teams introduced three rough concepts on multiple platforms. Guests from JPL, Caltech and ArtCenter staff provided feedback that spurred discussions. These comments helped direct teams on which concept to focus their attention and efforts for their final project.

Teams then worked to refine their projects by creating personas and “A Day in the Life” scenarios which helped direct their design thinking and ideation with the end user in mind. They created prototypes, often multiple iterations, and field tested their ideas as they reshaped their concepts. Students often examined existing tools currently used by researchers (SPIN Lab, MATLAB, ParaView, etc.), comparing the technology to their project goals.

All through the prototyping phase, student teams realized that staying true to the integrity of the data should be the through line in all their conceptual ideas coupled with keeping the needs of their intended users as a guiding principle.

Next Steps

In June, student projects will be presented at the 2018 National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI) mid-term grantee meeting in Huntington Beach, CA.