Abstract
The Lagrangian analysis of particulate matter, biota and drifters, which are dispersed by turbulent fluid currents, is a cornerstone of
oceanographic studies, covering diverse study objectives. The results of Lagrangian simulations and observations is predominantly
visualised by means of easy-access plotting interfaces and simple presentation techniques. We analysed over 50 publications from
the years 2010-2020 with respect to their visual design to deduce common visualisation practices in the domain. Individual figures
are analysed towards adherence to visualisation best-practices, algebraic visualisation guidelines and the IPCC visual style guide.
In this article, we present the resulting best-practices and common pitfalls in the design of Lagrangian ocean visualisations. Based
on this visual study, we highlight that raising awareness of established visual guidelines may have a higher impact on improving the
visual quality of publications in oceanography than the vigorous development of more general-purpose visualisation tools.
oceanographic studies, covering diverse study objectives. The results of Lagrangian simulations and observations is predominantly
visualised by means of easy-access plotting interfaces and simple presentation techniques. We analysed over 50 publications from
the years 2010-2020 with respect to their visual design to deduce common visualisation practices in the domain. Individual figures
are analysed towards adherence to visualisation best-practices, algebraic visualisation guidelines and the IPCC visual style guide.
In this article, we present the resulting best-practices and common pitfalls in the design of Lagrangian ocean visualisations. Based
on this visual study, we highlight that raising awareness of established visual guidelines may have a higher impact on improving the
visual quality of publications in oceanography than the vigorous development of more general-purpose visualisation tools.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 217-224 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 17 Jun 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The two head authors created the taxonomy and its application in tandem, with continuous iterative feedback of E. van Sebille. All authors thank the OceanParcels group of Utrecht University’s IMAU and its close, related partners for their graphics contribution. The research is supported by the ”Tracking Of Plastic In Our Seas” (TOPIOS) project (grant agreement no. 715386) and partly by the IMMERSE project (grant agreement no. 821926), both funded by ERC’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program. A majority of the outlined studies were performed in the Parcels framework (Delandmeter and van Se-bille, 2019).
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright: Author(s) 2021.
Keywords
- IPCC visual style guide
- Lagrangian analysis
- Oceanography
- Visual guidelines
- Visualisation design
