Chapter 8: Sketching Expressive Visualization of a Natural Phenomenon: Ultra-violet Individual Exposure Estimation

The research presented in this paper aims at developing and validating a predictive tool of individual exposure to solar Ultra-Violet (UV). UV exposure depends on ambient irradiation level and individual factors related to activity (position to the sun, clothing, duration of exposure, and other forms of sun protection). We predict exposure levels of body parts on basis of ambient irradiation levels and information about postural activity. The prediction system uses existing techniques in the field of 3D rendering to visually sketch an accurate estimation of the exposure distribution over body parts represented as a 3D triangular mesh. The results are compared against individual dosimetric measurements. Our approach is based on the similarities between our assumptions about the individual UV exposure model and the rendering of 3D computer generated scenes.