Visual data exploration for hydrological analysis

Hydrological research projects for integrated water resources management such as the IWAS initiative often accumulate large amounts of heterogeneous data from different sources. Given the number of partners taking part in such projects, surveying and accessing the available data sets, as well as searching for a defined subset, becomes increasingly difficult. We propose an integrated approach for a system combining visual data management and numerical simulation which allows to survey and select data sets based on keywords such as a region of interest or given indicators. An adequate 3D visualisation of such subsets helps to convey information and significantly supports the assessment of relations between different types of data. Furthermore, the interface between the visual data management system and finite element codes allows for the straightforward integration of information into the numerical simulation process and the subsequent visualisation of simulation results in a geographical context. We demonstrate typical workflows for integration and processing within the system based on data from the IWAS model region in Saudi Arabia and the TERENO Bode Observatory in the Harz Mountains in Germany. In addition, we present examples for data import and export based on established standard file formats.