Data in Context: Engaging Audiences with 3D Physical Geo-Visualization

Geo-visualizations are invaluable aids for communicating complex scenarios that place data in spatial location and across time. With the advancement of 3D fabrication (and future potential for actuated displays,) more installations opt to project geo-visualization data on physical objects to provide an additional layer of context. In this paper, we set out to compare the effectiveness and user engagement of geo-visualizations data projected on either a flat 2D surface or a 3D representation of the terrain. We present our methodology and observations from this study. Our results so far are inconclusive, which leads us the propose that physical geo-visualization is a thriving field for further research.