The Greenland Project | Polar Geophysics Group

Ryder Ice Shelf surface hydrology through Virtual Reality

The Greenland Project is an XR application that was developed for the Microsoft HoloLens2 and Oculus Quest1. The application combined ice-penetrating radar imagery, CSV thickness measurements, and topographical digital elevation models (DEMs) of the Ryder Ice Shelf in Greenland. The radar data used were collected by NASA’s Operation IceBridge – a ten year campaign to collect geophysical data in the Arctic and Antarctic. The intent behind focusing on the Ryder Ice Shelf was to help glaciologists understand the ice shelf’s structure and subsequently the shelf’s surface hydrology. Ryder Ice Shelf is just north of the famous Petermann Ice Shelf, and there is a large spotlight on the Greenland ice shelves and ice sheets due to global warming. By combining these robust datasets in geospatial context, glaciologists would be able to examine the Ryder Ice Shelf from a different perspective. In addition, The Greenland Project application was developed with immersive gesture, measurement, and cross-platform collaboration features; thus, multiple users can simultaneously explore the datasets and discuss their findings.

Development

This application, developed by Sofía Sánchez-Zárate and Manxueying Li, successfully integrated the following datasets in geospatial context: OIB ice-penetrating radar images; Ryder Ice Shelf surface and bedrock DEMs; CSVs of surface and ice thickness measurements derived from OIB radargrams, processed and digitized by Center for Remote Sensing and Integrated Systems (CReSIS). In app user tools include: a menu to toggle various scene objects on and off; a vertical exaggeration slider menu; a dynamic, straight-line measurement tool; and remote avatars for synchronized, collaborative working with additional user headsets. The entire application was developed remotely over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic lock down.

The Greenland Project was specifically designed for Mixed Reality platforms for a number of reasons. The HoloLens (an AR headset) allows the user to remain in their familiar environment, which can ease known side effects of VR exposure. AR can also allow a scientist to view the data in the application, while simultaneously generating analyses on a separate device without needing to remove the headset. The Oculus Quest (a VR headset) allows users to completely immerse themselves in the remote environment. VR can allow a scientist to view the data in higher resolution and more clearly without the interference of a cluttered room, or poor lighting. Implementing cross-platform remote networking ensures that the application remains updated for both AR and VR platforms, and allows multiple users to work together in the app environment. The Greenland Project is an effective example of how XR applications can be collaborative science tools.

Limitations

The Greenland Project application development ran into difficulties with rendering curved meshes in Unity and texturing the curves properly with the radargrams. These issues did not extend to meshes following straight line trajectories. Another limitation for the project was the internal capacity of the HoloLens1. The memory, drive capacity, and lens size, hindered the development of broader scale data visualization within the app. This reduced the amount of textures and shapes that could be used due to rendering difficulty. This was less of a limitation with the Oculus Quest1, as the lens size, internal storage, and memory capacity is larger. However, many people experience VR specific motion sickness. An AR headset, like the HoloLens, can alleviate that motion sickness. Until AR headsets are developed with better internal hardware to support higher resolution graphics and user interfaces, applications like The Greenland Project will be developmentally hindered. Moreover, the price of the HoloLens1 is not consumer friendly. While the Oculus Quest1 and other VR headsets are widely available and within a reasonable price range. As such, a VR headset is a much more economical, user friendly, and development friendly option.

Conclusion

The Greenland Project is a triumphant example of peak-pandemic application development. The app successfully generated geospatially correct, 3-D datasets in a robust and interactive environment, complete with a synchronized co-op mode.