Challenge

Climate change is one of the most serious issues of our time and will affect the entire global population, especially people and cities located along the world’s coasts. The physical effects of rising seas are known, but communicating the potential impact and damage is difficult to convey in a way that is accurate, demonstrable and memorable. USGS awarded the visualization project to Invisible Thread and provided them the USGS CoSMoS data.

Solution

The Invisible Thread team leveraged their decades of experience in visual effects for feature films, cutting edge technology skills and cinematic storytelling ability to present large, complex datasets in a visualization that will engage people and help them understand the human cost of climate change.

Project

The team chose Capitola Beach, CA—an iconic beach town which is under threat from rising seas. The team started with LIDAR and photogrammetry scans of the location, and then combined them with 360 video taken on the beach. The 3D data was calibrated in real world units and correlated with USGS CoSMoS information to model where the ocean will impact the coast line and structures at Capitola Beach.

The team evaluated and selected which conditions of the USGS dataset to illustrate. The goal was to pick likely conditions to ensure relevancy and authenticity for the viewer rather than cherry-pick extreme examples. The new USGS CoSMoS model also highlighted the impact of dynamic conditions such as storm surges and king tides. To tell the whole story it was important to show the combination of sea level rise due to climate change in conjunction with storm conditions to effectively demonstrate the dramatic impact on the coasts.

To execute on this visualization, Invisible Thread used fluid implicit particle simulations and ocean spectrums guided by USGS data to create the realistic water depictions. Dozens of different scenarios were run through the 3D model and ultimately a progression of sea levels and conditions emerged which told the story.

Sea level rise, small at first, then combined with storm conditions from mild to severe, dramatically illustrates the damage caused by the conditions. Ultimately the viewer is submerged. The literal and figurative impact of this moment is profound, and drives home the urgent need for action.

Results

Most people are aware of sea-level rise and climate change and about sixty percent of the population is concerned about it. The direct impact of these changes is hard to comprehend and extremely difficult to communicate. Without expertise and experience in data interpretation it is virtually impossible to translate the science into the intuition and emotion on a personal level. ‘How will rising sea levels affect me, my children and grandchildren?’ remain theoretical rather than experiential questions.

The objective of this visualization is twofold: one, accurately portray the scientific basis of sea level rise and its damage to our environment; and two, to connect emotionally and engage viewers with their hearts as well as their heads. The team at Invisible Thread succeeded by bringing the scientific data into a descriptive and personal data story. After release the team will measure response among various target audiences and ideally change attitudes and actions.

COMPANY: Invisible Thread