Visualizing Invisible Environmental Data in VR: Development and Implementation of Design Concepts for Communicating Urban Air Quality in a Virtual City Model

• As cities continue to grow, the desire to combine densification with sustainability and greenery may present a challenge to air quality, resulting from reduced ventilation caused by dense buildings and vegetation. To support the careful urban planning required, effective and interactive tools that can visualize and communicate information about air quality to stakeholders are essential. In a transdisciplinary research project aiming to explore such visualizations a prototype pedagogical virtual reality tool was developed, allowing users to explore the impact of aspects of the built environment upon urban air quality. The tool was evaluated with adolescents in upper secondary school through interviews and observations, as well as with the general public through a questionnaire study. This paper provides insights, potential solutions, and initial assessments relevant to data visualization in 3D and immersive analytics in urban planning and stakeholder communication. Identified challenges include difficulties with color association and data distinguishability, and as well as tool complexity relating to the many features requested by experts involved in a transdisciplinary project.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Annan teknik -- Mediateknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Other Engineering and Technologies -- Media Engineering (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Annan teknik -- Interaktionsteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Other Engineering and Technologies -- Interaction Technologies (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Arkitekturteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Architectural Engineering (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Design (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Design (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap -- Systemvetenskap, informationssystem och informatik med samhällsvetenskaplig inriktning (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications -- Information Systems, Social aspects (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

3D-city model

Air pollution data

Data visualization

Urban planning

Usability study

Virtual reality

Usability study

Work Integrated Learning

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