Project 1

Renewable Internal Freshwater Resource Visualization

Aarav Kumar, CSCI1951T

• 2D Version
• More flexible (more data, more view options, easier comparison)
• Well synthesized/summarized data
• AR Version
• More engaging and immersive (almost unanimously – 10/11)
• More relatable (8+ for AR vs 5-6 for 2D)
• Comparative ability fell greatly (4 pts)
• Surprises
• Navigation preference was split evenly -(4 for AR, 5 for 2D, 1 Both, 1 Neither)
• Numerical data recall didn't have much change between AR and 2D versions (AR estimations were slightly more off)

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Class Activity Results

Primary (focus) criteria for this project:

• Accuracy to real-life volumetric data (e.g. 1m^3 appears as 1m^3)
• Ability to compare water data of countries
• Relatability of data

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Fluid Visualization Evaluation

1-2 cm off (98-99% accurate – amounts to 95% in 3 dimensions)

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Scale Evaluation

Wiki Additions

AR Development Software for Fluid Visualizations Wiki Page

Comparison table comparing the software based on different metrics / project needs

Wiki page on enabling Meta Quest controller input mapping in Unity projects – step by step tutorial

Demo of guided tutorial project

Explaining different types of input mapping + how they work

Explanation of shaders + materials

Wiki page on creating a water visualization in Unity (like my project)

Instructions for adding/creating water shaders + adding data driven transformations

Wiki page on adding animations to objects in Unity via Timeline

Step by step instructions for a simple project incorporating animations + links to further resources for experimentation / advanced features

Wiki page on applications of AR in climate awareness + sustainability

Range of AR applications + real world examples in education, fashion, field trips, zoos + wildlife conservation, disaster management and planning, and more

Takeaways + Challenges

Takeaways

• Need to allocate more time to get familiar with new tools (budget significant time for this — Unity took a long while to get used to) 
• Important to find resources that are up to date when researching (especially for tutorials and documentation)
• Be open to pivoting from original ideas / implementation (create a flexible timeline)�

Challenges

• Configuring Unity hierarchy + settings, and not realizing limitations of Unity's version control
• Re-arranging timeline deadlines and deliverables due to prototyping section taking longer than expected
• Working with the limitations of the dataset + my implementation of the visualization

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Second Project Ideas

• Interactive Groundwater & Aquifer Visualization: visualize underground water reserves in AR, showing depletion/recharge over time. Users could place virtual markers to explore how water moves through soil layers.
• AR-Driven Historical vs. Predicted Climate Change: Overlay historical climate data onto real-world locations in AR, with interactive controls to compare past, present, and future projections.
• AR & Haptic Earthquake Data Simulation: Visualize seismic activity in AR while using haptics to simulate tremors based on real-world earthquake data.

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