ISSN 2079-3537      

 
 
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Scientific Visualization, 2021, volume 13, number 5, pages 78 - 94, DOI: 10.26583/sv.13.5.07

Visualization of 40 Years of Tropical Cyclone Positions and Their Rainfall Impacts in Central America

Authors: Franklin Hernández-Castro1,A,B, Jorge Monge-Fallas2,A, Hugo G. Hidalgo3,C,D, Eric J. Alfaro4,C,D,E

A Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Costa Rica

B Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd, Alemania

C Centro de Investigaciones Geofísicas, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

D Escuela de Física, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

E Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

1 ORCID: 0000-0003-3589-4588, franhernandez@itcr.ac.cr

2 ORCID: 0000-0002-1651-3543, , jomonge@itcr.ac.cr

3 ORCID: 0000-0003-4638-0742, hugo.hidalgo@ucr.ac.cr

4 ORCID: 0000-0001-9278-5017, erick.alfaro@ucr.ac.cr

 

Abstract

This article focuses on a visualization of tropical cyclone track data occurring over a 40-year period (1970–2010) and their relationship with (extremely) heavy rainfall reported by 88 Central American weather stations.

The purpose of the visualization is to associate the paths of tropical cyclones in oceanic areas with heavy rainfall inland. Thus, the potential for producing a set of rainfall patterns might somehow help in predicting where different impacts like flooding might occur when tropical cyclones develop in specific oceanic regions.

The visualization will serve as a key tool for CIGEFI scientists to apply in their work to determine critical positions of the tropical cyclones associated with extremely heavy rainfall events at daily timescales.

 

Keywords: Data visualization, tropical cyclones, rainfall data, information visualization, relationship data, visualization paradigms.