As the amount of scientific data continues to grow, researchers need new tools to help them visualize complex data. Immersive data-visualisations are helpful, yet fail to provide tactile feedback and sensory feedback on spatial orientation, as provided from tangible objects. The gap in sensory feedback from virtual objects leads to the development of tangible representations of geospatial information to solve real world problems. Examples are animated globes [1], interactive environments like tangible GIS [2], and on demand 3D prints. The production of a tangible representation of a scientific data set is one step in a line of scientific thinking, leading from the physical world into scientific reasoning and back: The process starts with a physical observation, or from a data stream generated by an environmental sensor. This data stream is turned into a geo-referenced data set. This data is turned into a volume representation which is converted into command sequences for the printing device, leading to the creation of a 3D printout. As a last, but crucial step, this new object has to be documented and linked to the associated metadata, and curated in long term repositories to preserve its scientific meaning and context. The workflow to produce tangible 3D data-prints from science data at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) was implemented as a software based on the Free and Open Source Geoinformatics tools GRASS GIS and Paraview. The workflow was successfully validated in various application scenarios at GFZ using a RapMan printer to create 3D specimens of elevation models, geological underground models, ice penetrating radar soundings for planetology, and space time stacks for Tsunami model quality assessment. While these first pilot applications have demonstrated the feasibility of the overall approach [3], current research focuses on the provision of the workflow as Software as a Service (SAAS), thematic generalisation of information content and long term curation. [1] http://www.arcscience.com/systemDetails/omniTechnology.html [2] http://video.esri.com/watch/53/landscape-design-with-tangible-gis [3] Löwe et al. (2013), Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 15, EGU2013-1544-1.

1. AGU2013- IN41B-1606
An open source workflow for 3D printouts of
scientific data volumes
Peter Loewe¹, Jens F Klump², Jens Wickert², Marcel Ludwig², Alessandro Frigeri³
1. German National Library for Science and Technology, Hannover, Germany.
2. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.
3. Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario - INAF, Rome, Italy.
Contact: peter.loewe@tib.uni-hannover.de
Challenge: As the amount of scientific data continues to grow, researchers need new tools to help them visualize complex
data. Immersive data-visualisations are helpful, yet fail to provide tactile feedback and sensory feedback on spatial
orientation, as provided from tangible objects. The gap in sensory feedback from virtual objects leads to the development of
tangible representations of geospatial information for science interpretation of real world problems. Examples are animated
globes [1], interactive environments like tangible GIS [2], and on demand 3D prints.
Target
group
Paraview
Scientist
Scientific
Data
Technical Printing Process
Interpretation
GRASS 7
3D
Print
Metadata Management
Figure C: Complex faults can be
used as cutlines to split geologic
bodies in a 3D print. Data: GFZ
Potsdam
Visualisation: Paraview
Petrel
Figure A: The core aspects of scientific 3D prints: The primary use
for interpretation of science is enabled by the 3D print specimen,
produced from technical printing process including data reduction and
generalisation. In addition, metadata preservation must be ensured to
preserve the scientific content.
Geo
Data
Pre-press
3D
Printing
Figure B: Overview of the 3D printing
workflow: Geologic models (created in
Petrel) and other geodata sources are
processed in GRASS GIS to create prepress data sets for the actual 3D printing
process. Paraview is used both for
visualisation and data filtering.
Approach: The production of a tangible representation of a scientific data set is one step in a line of scientific thinking,
leading from the physical world into scientific reasoning and back (Figure A): The process starts with data from an
environmental sensor or a simulation result, which is turned into a geo-referenced data set. This data is converted into a
volume representation which is transformed in to a suitable pre-press format for the printing device, leading to the creation
of a 3D printout. As a last, but crucial step, this new object has to be documented and linked to the associated metadata,
and curated in long term repositories to preserve its scientific meaning and contex.
Figure G: 3D printed stack
of the underlying geology of
the eastern german basin.
The 3D prints depict permocarbon volcanics (red), Rotliegend sandstones (brown),
permian Zechstein (blue),
triassic Buntsandstein
(purple), upper cretacious
(green), and quaternary
deposits (yellow).
Figure D: 3D print (top) of a
Space-Time stack modelling of a
simulation of the Tohoku 2011
Tsunami (bottom). Simulation by
A. Babeyko, GFZ Potsdam, 2011.
www.gfz-potsdam.de
Results: The software workflow to produce tangible 3D data-prints from science data at the German Research Centre for
Geosciences (GFZ) was implemented based on the Free and Open Source Geoinformatics tools GRASS GIS and Paraview.
The workflow was successfully validated in various application scenarios at GFZ using a RapMan 2.0 printer to create 3D
printouts of various scientific data sets (Figure B). These comprise elevation models (Figure E), geological underground
models (Figures C and G), ice penetrating radar soundings (Figure F), and space time stacks for Tsunami model quality
assessment (Figure D).
While these first pilot applications have demonstrated the feasibility of the overall approach [3], current development
focuses on software modularisation (GRASS add-on modules) and the provision of the workflow as Software as a Service
(SAAS). In addition, best practices for thematic generalisation of information content and long term curation are being
defined.
Figure E: 3D print of the digital elevation
model of martian volcanoe Olympus Mons.
Data Source:
HRSC-Sensor, Express
Orbiter Misson (provided by INAF).
Figure F: 3D print of the volume body of the
north polar cap of Mars. Data Source: Ground
pentrating radar from the SHARAD and
MARSIS
sensors
[Frigeri
2012].
[1]
http://www.arcscience.com/systemDetails
/omniTechnology.html
[2]
http://video.esri.com/watch/53/landscape
-design-with-tangible-gis
[3] Löwe et al. (2013), Geophysical
Research Abstracts, Vol. 15, EGU20131544-1.

2. Paraview
Petrel
GRASS 7
Geo
Data
Pre-press
3D
Printing