NEOviz: Uncertainty-Driven Visual Analysis of Asteroid Trajectories

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Lan, Fangfei, Ejdbo, Malin, Moeyens, Joachim, Wang, Bei, Ynnerman, Anders, Bock, Alexander
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Lan, Fangfei
Ejdbo, Malin
Moeyens, Joachim
Wang, Bei
Ynnerman, Anders
Bock, Alexander
author_facet Lan, Fangfei
Ejdbo, Malin
Moeyens, Joachim
Wang, Bei
Ynnerman, Anders
Bock, Alexander
contents We introduce NEOviz, an interactive visualization system designed to assist planetary defense experts in the visual analysis of the movements of near-Earth objects in the Solar System that might prove hazardous to Earth. Asteroids are often discovered using optical telescopes and their trajectories are calculated from images, resulting in an inherent asymmetric uncertainty in their position and velocity. Consequently, we typically cannot determine the exact trajectory of an asteroid, and an ensemble of trajectories must be generated to estimate an asteroid's movement over time. When propagating these ensembles over decades, it is challenging to visualize the varying paths and determine their potential impact on Earth, which could cause catastrophic damage. NEOviz equips experts with the necessary tools to effectively analyze the existing catalog of asteroid observations. In particular, we present a novel approach for visualizing the 3D uncertainty region through which an asteroid travels, while providing accurate spatial context in relation to system-critical infrastructure such as Earth, the Moon, and artificial satellites. Furthermore, we use NEOviz to visualize the divergence of asteroid trajectories, capturing high-variance events in an asteroid's orbital properties. For potential impactors, we combine the 3D visualization with an uncertainty-aware impact map to illustrate the potential risks to human populations. NEOviz was developed with continuous input from members of the planetary defense community through a participatory design process. It is exemplified in three real-world use cases and evaluated via expert feedback interviews.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_02812
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle NEOviz: Uncertainty-Driven Visual Analysis of Asteroid Trajectories
Lan, Fangfei
Ejdbo, Malin
Moeyens, Joachim
Wang, Bei
Ynnerman, Anders
Bock, Alexander
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Human-Computer Interaction
We introduce NEOviz, an interactive visualization system designed to assist planetary defense experts in the visual analysis of the movements of near-Earth objects in the Solar System that might prove hazardous to Earth. Asteroids are often discovered using optical telescopes and their trajectories are calculated from images, resulting in an inherent asymmetric uncertainty in their position and velocity. Consequently, we typically cannot determine the exact trajectory of an asteroid, and an ensemble of trajectories must be generated to estimate an asteroid's movement over time. When propagating these ensembles over decades, it is challenging to visualize the varying paths and determine their potential impact on Earth, which could cause catastrophic damage. NEOviz equips experts with the necessary tools to effectively analyze the existing catalog of asteroid observations. In particular, we present a novel approach for visualizing the 3D uncertainty region through which an asteroid travels, while providing accurate spatial context in relation to system-critical infrastructure such as Earth, the Moon, and artificial satellites. Furthermore, we use NEOviz to visualize the divergence of asteroid trajectories, capturing high-variance events in an asteroid's orbital properties. For potential impactors, we combine the 3D visualization with an uncertainty-aware impact map to illustrate the potential risks to human populations. NEOviz was developed with continuous input from members of the planetary defense community through a participatory design process. It is exemplified in three real-world use cases and evaluated via expert feedback interviews.
title NEOviz: Uncertainty-Driven Visual Analysis of Asteroid Trajectories
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.02812