The Dynamic Representation of Precipitation Data Through the Use of Computer Animation

Abstract

Hawaii's diverse topography creates a variety of climatic zones within a small physical area (Blumenstock, 1961). There are many descriptions (Krajina, 1963) of these zones, resulting from the existence of an extensive record of climatic and biological measurements. Climate data are particularly well represented. Long-term records are available so that temporal processes can be analyzed. However, the usual climate reports are in a form that averages the temporal data, such as maps of long-term averages (Figure 1). The goal of this project was to make a data display that would show some of the temporal changes in the climate data, with particular emphasis on having a form that is readily interpretable. Today, through the use of computers, it is possible to produce animations of machine-displayed images. The animation expands the data presentation possibilities by allowing the use of sequences of images. In the case of the climate data, this allows the reintroduction of the temporal dynamics. It was hoped that it would reveal patterns that were previously undetected. These new patterns, in turn, might offer greater insight into Hawaii's ecological processes.