Implementation of Martian virtual reality environment using very high-resolution stereo topographic data Jung-Rack Kim a,n , Shih-Yuan Lin b , Jeong-Woo Hong c , Young-Hwi Kim d , Chin-Kang Park e a Department of Geoinformatics, University of Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea b Department of Land Economics, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan c Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, Daejeon, Republic of Korea d Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea e Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejoon, Republic of Korea article info Article history: Received 15 July 2011 Received in revised form 29 September 2011 Accepted 30 September 2011 Available online 21 October 2011 Keywords: Mars High resolution DTM Ortho-image Virtual reality Stereo analysis Geomorphology abstract Topography over terrestrial or other planetary surfaces is an important base data for virtual reality construction. In particular, with inaccessible topography such as the Martian surface, virtual reality provides great value not only for public interaction but also for scientific research. For the latter application, since field surveys are essential for the geological and geomorphological researches, the virtual reality environment created based on verified topographic products provides an alternative solution for planetary research. The performance of virtual reality implementation over a planetary surface can be assessed by two major factors: (1) The geodetically controlled base topographic products, such as DTM and ortho-image, and (2) Technological integration of topographic products into virtual reality software and hardware. For the first aspect, the multi-resolution stereo analysis approach has already provided a solid basis so that specific topographic data sets over testing areas were generated by the hierarchical processor. To address the second problem, a parallel processor with multiple screen display combining 3D display software was employed in this research. As demonstrated in this paper, the constructed Martian virtual environment showed highly detailed features over the Athabasca Valles (one of former potential Mars Exploration Rover landing sites) and Eberswalde crater (one of the main original landing candidates for the NASA’s rover mission scheduled to launch in late 2011). The employment of such virtual reality environments is expected to be a powerful simulator after integrating a 3D Martian model, engineering and environment constraints for Martian geological and geomorphic researches including landing site selection and rover navigation. & 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction High-resolution satellite imagery and 3D topographic products (e.g. digital terrain model (DTM)) constructed from orbital image data have been recognized as important tools for investigating planetary topography. Geological and geomorphological analyses and interpretation can be performed effectively and precisely (Warner et al., 2009, 2010a,b) exploiting such planetary 3D topographic products. Therefore, in order to extract more detailed information, orbital sensors capable of capturing images with advanced spatial resolution should be employed in planetary exploration missions. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and Context Camera (CTX) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) are successful examples. Due to the advantage of improved orbital image quality, the construction of 3D topographic products with higher spatial resolution has also become achievable (Kirk et al., 2003, 2008; Kim and Muller, 2009). The usage of high resolution topographic products is not only beneficial for studying 3D structures and formation of geomor- phological features, but it is also required for in-situ exploration of the Martian surface, including the Martian rover’s landing site selection and traverse navigation. For the application of landing site selection, the topographic products are critical for investigat- ing the scientific research interest and assessing engineering constraints over candidate landing sites (Kirk et al., 2008). More- over, the rover’s traversing and maneuvering were achieved in the Martian environment simulation whose construction was based on the imagery acquired by the panoramic camera installed on the rover. Due to the viewing angle of the camera and the time for data transferring and processing, the capability to pre-investigate the exploration areas was limited. This issue can be addressed if Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cageo Computers & Geosciences 0098-3004/$ - see front matter & 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2011.09.018 n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ82 7082533008; fax: þ82 222460186. E-mail address: kjrr001@gmail.com (J.-R. Kim). Computers & Geosciences 44 (2012) 184–195