True-3D Visualization of Glacier Retreat in the Dachstein Massif, Austria: Cross-Media Hard- and Softcopy Displays

Abstract

Glacier recession is a global phenomenon subject to climate change. This also applies to the Dachstein Massif in die Eastern Alps of Austria. Based on historical and recent maps, and moraine mapping the glacier states from the years 1850, 1915 and 2002 were used as input for for photorealistic reconstructions and visualizations of the respective glacier states. A detailed digital terrain model and aerial photographs (2003 – 2006) were provided by the Government of Styria and Joanneum Research Graz. By means of the software packages ERDAS Imagine 9.1, ESRI ArcGIS 9.2, 3D Nature Visual Nature Studio 3 (VNS), Digi-Art 3DZ Extreme and Avaron Tucan 7.2 the glacier conditions during the “Little Ice Age” (+/- 1850) and the following two dates were reconstructed. Subsequently, several derivates of these data sets were generated.

First, three individual overflight simulations were computed, permitting to obtain a realistic impression of the Dachstein Massif and its glaciers in 1850, 1915 and 2002. As a second embodiment product, a fast-motion dynamic visualization of the glacier recession was generated which illustrates their decrease in thickness. Third, combining both the flip effect and the true-3D effect achievable by lenticular foils, were applied to produce a multitemporal autostereoscopic hardcopy display. Fourth, the overflight simulation data sets were used to generate stereo-films which could then be displayed on back-projection facilities using either passive polarization glasses or active shutter glasses.