Former projects

Space science, in general, has become increasingly important in recent years, as space phenomena can also have an impact on Earth's development. Exploring space weather events that propagate through space from the Sun and interact with Earth's magnetosphere is of particular interest in this context.

With a focus on low-threshold and comprehensible visualization of complex space weather data, researchers from our Multiple Senses Group are collaborating with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in the CosmoWeather research project to develop innovative Extended Reality  prototypes (VR and AR) for simulating and also communicating space weather events to experts as well as the general public.

Project objectives

The new Virtual Reality prototypes of the CosmoWeather project build on existing, well-proven software such as CosmoScout VR, a modular virtual universe designed at the DLR, and iPIC3D, an open-source space plasma simulator. Key aspects for the further creation of efficient and user-oriented VR prototypes for experts and the general public are handling large amounts of data in a way that is tailored to the user's interest and the respective device.

Considering the wide range of the community that could benefit from the output of and information about space weather simulations, with different levels of expertise, from end-users to expert scientists, the CosmoWeather consortium is developing two distinct VR prototypes addressing two primary use cases: expert analysis and dissemination to the general public.

• The Expert prototype will target expert users employing state-of-the-art immersive VR setups with enough processing power to visualize and analyze simulated space weather data sets.
• The Educational prototype will be designed for low-powered VR devices, like VR headsets or smartphones, and web users, focusing on an engaging educational experience of space weather and its influence on Earth and its infrastructure.

Extended Reality solutions have proven their value for many years in areas such as surgery, design, and training by enabling a new level of immersion and understanding of complex 3D datasets, models, and environments. Following successful research projects at VRVis, for example, in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence for VR mission planning or the Wiener Staatsoper for innovative VR stage design, our Multiple Senses Group joins forces with DLR in collaboration with ESA to address an important space topic. In this context, the CosmoWeather consortium also follows the Austrian Space Strategy 2030+, which defines space and its exploration as a key technology that contributes to Austria's climate neutrality by 2040.