CFD Simulation and Comprehensive Data Visualization in eRobtoics Systems for Storm Damage Prevention in Forest Planning

CFD simulation tools typically are expert systems and demand for specific expertise, moreover, commonly provided visualizations of the simulation results are hard to analyze and interpret, especially to people not closely related to the specific area of expertise. As a recent example, the need for such simulations, as well as tools for comprehensive visualizations and analysis of the generated results became clear in 2007 when the windstorm "Kyrill" hit Europe and caused massive damages to the forests. Proper storm simulations can support forest planning in order to prevent future storm damages. The recently introduced concepts of eRobotics aim to bridge the gap between expert systems and comprehensive software applications by supporting the understanding of complex simulation results with realistic virtual environments. In this paper, we extend the eRobotics approach to the forest planning domain. Accurate CFD simulations are combined with comprehensive visualization approaches in order to act as a decision support system to optimize future forest developments under ecological and sustainable aspects. Finally, a comparison of real-world and simulated storm damage caused by the windstorm Kyrill will show the applicability and benefits of the presented system regarding damage prevention and sustainable forest development.