Industries
While Makai Voyager is a standalone visualization package that is immediately useful for many industries, Makai recognizes the need in certain industries for application-specific tools. Makai has developed products on top of this powerful 4D GIS visualization engine for some of the industries listed below.
Climate Sciences
Global environmental models of high resolution challenge most currently available software packages because the output data are very large, 3D and temporal (4D), and often contain multiple variables. Makai Voyager was designed specifically to visualize environmental models of unlimited size with minimal hardware requirements. Makai has performed visualization services using data from several meteorological organizations, with the output typically consisting of an interactive 4D model with which a client may study and analyze his or her model results. In some cases, a client’s needs extend beyond the capabilities of the basic software – in these cases Makai will tailor a custom build that better suits his or her needs. This video shows an example of a large hurricane model hitting the east coast of the United States.
Ocean Sciences & Engineering
The original motivations behind Makai Voyager were to better display and disseminate the large ocean models produced by the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, and this emphasis on ocean data has continued through the development of Makai Voyager. Oceanographers and engineers have found Makai Voyager useful for investigating the results of large dynamic plume models (such as outfalls, hazard plumes, nutrient or sediment transport models, etc.) and displaying this information to their clients and the public. For a case study of Makai Voyager being used to analyze a plume model project, please see this technical article. Also, an article describing the use of Makai Voyager for visualizing large ocean and atmospheric data can be found here.
Defense –Tactical Displays
Makai Voyager stands alone when compared to other tactical displays because it not only streams real-time information relative to the location of friendly and enemy units and the terrain of the landscape, but it can also stream 4D environmental data. In some applications, environmental data is of tantamount importance to mission success. For example, the Navy uses environmental data in their models to locate and detect undersea targets. Sound travels at different speeds under the water depending upon temperature and salinity. When these variables are taken into consideration, tactical decision makers can view locations where the probability of detection is high or very low based on the existing positions of the sonar buoys. Click here for a case study.
Disaster Management
Makai Voyager provides an ideal tool for better understanding how natural disasters impact humans. Natural disasters are inherently 4 dimensional (3D plus time), and therefore understanding them requires the ability to view and analyze the large 4D models produced by disaster modeling agencies. However, visualization of these models is only relevant in the context of the real GIS data showing the location of infrastructure, population centers, and the static terrain. Makai Voyager fuses the disaster model results with the GIS data that illustrates the areas that will ultimately be affected. Makai can visualize ocean chemistry change, sea level rise, tsunami, hurricane, flood, and hazard (including nuclear) plume modeling. The video to the right shows Makai Voyager being used to interactively visualize a trans-pacific tsunami model.
Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)
Data centers use environmental sensor arrays to monitor the indoor temperature and humidity of their facilities. These arrays are increasing in size and resolution. 2D color maps fail to communicate the spatial complexity of this data, allowing localized and subtle issues to fall through the cracks. Data center managers are seeking a more effective way of understanding this granular environmental data that is inherently spatial. Makai has developed a prototype DCIM application on top of Makai Voyager for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
