Research on Interactive Technologies for Meteorology Learning Based on AR Technology

Project METEO

Dayi WANG, Shigenori MOCHIZUKI, Toshikazu OHSHIMA

https://gyazo.com/d2cbe43879902cbf9f87c37a952517bf

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Body Sphere Research Project:

Abstract: To demonstrate to students an intuitive display of meteorological knowledgBody Sphere Research Projecte, this study develops a system that allows the user to manipulate a virtual terrain and observe the simulation results of meteorological phenomena on that terrain. The meteorological phenomena to be simulated include sea and land winds, mountain and valley winds, and the heat island phenomenon. The process of generating the terrain and simulation results is fully automated and the results are presented to the user by AR technology. Additionally, features such as an introduction panel are implemented to facilitate the understanding of the knowledge. The project is tested through user experience and feedback.

Keywords: geoscience education, augmented reality, weather simulation

Method：This system consists of an interactive device base, multiple small interactive devices representing terrains, a PC, and an AR device.The interactive device base incorporates a voltage divider circuit and connects to the PC via a microcontroller. Each terrain device contains resistors with varying resistance values based on the terrain type. When a user places a terrain device onto the base, the voltage division effect identifies the corresponding terrain information. This information is then integrated and transmitted to the PC. A program within the PC executes terrain generation and weather simulation algorithms based on the received terrain data. The virtual terrain and weather simulation results are visualized and presented to the user via an AR device.The models visible within the AR interface correspond to the base of the device, creating an experience where the terrain assembled by the user is transported into the real world. Additionally, button components for user interaction have been incorporated, along with knowledge panels within the program that provide detailed explanations about meteorological phenomena through text descriptions.

Interaction Flow:

① The user first imagines the terrain in their mind and roughly visualizes how air currents would move within that terrain.

② Place small devices onto the base. Once all are placed, the corresponding virtual terrain is created.

③ The virtual terrain and weather simulation results are automatically generated. The results are displayed to the user through the AR device.

④ Function controls are managed via button components. This allows actions such as “Day/Night Simulation Mode Switch,” “Generate/Delete City/Forest,” and “AR Function ON/OFF.” Cities and forests also influence the simulation as part of the terrain.

⑤ Observe the results to verify and confirm prior predictions.

⑥ By arbitrarily modifying terrain information and observing changes in simulation results, users can deepen their understanding of meteorology.

Future Work:Research on this system is ongoing. In the future, we aim to enhance interactive experiences and educational weather phenomena while continuously improving the simulation results to make them more comprehensive and accurate. We also seek to enable simultaneous multi-user experiences on platforms like smartphones, enrich content, and improve user feedback.