Maps, illustrations, animations—pictorial representations are a solidly anchored and essential part of everyday life. In fractions of seconds, images are analyzed and comprehended by our brain. They are attractive, capture attention, arouse emotions and retained in memory. But above all they transport vast amounts of information.
Nevertheless, the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" is misleading. This is because images speak quite a different language, and this language can be put to its own specific uses. But whereas the writing of texts is intensively practiced and scientific reports are elaborately composed, competent employment of images and film is often lacking.
This is where the Visualization and Animation Team can be of service to the scientists at the Earth Observation Center (EOC): whether as a GeoVIS service for outside communication, three-dimensional real-time situation portrayals, or simulating landscapes for traffic research.