Virtual Geosite Communication through a WebGIS Platform: A Case Study from Santorini Island (Greece)

We document and show a state-of-the-art methodology that could allow geoheritage sites (geosites) to become accessible to scientific and non-scientific audiences through immersive and non-immersive virtual reality applications. This is achieved through a dedicated WebGIS platform, particularly handy in communicating geoscience during the COVID-19 era. For this application, we selected nine volcanic outcrops in Santorini, Greece. The latter are mainly associated with several geological processes (e.g., dyking, explosive, and effusive eruptions). In particular, they have been associated with the famous Late Bronze Age (LBA) eruption, which made them ideal for geoheritage popularization objectives since they combine scientific and educational purposes with geotourism applications. Initially, we transformed these stunning volcanological outcrops into geospatial models—the so called virtual outcrops (VOs) here defined as virtual geosites (VGs)—through UAV-based photogrammetry and 3D modeling. In the next step, we uploaded them on an online platform that is fully accessible for Earth science teaching and communication. The nine VGs are currently accessible on a PC, a smartphone, or a tablet. Each one includes a detailed description and plenty of annotations available for the viewers during 3D exploration. We hope this work will be regarded as a forward model application for Earth sciences' popularization and make geoheritage open to the scientific community and the lay public.

Operative Anatomy of the Skull Base: 3D Exploration with a Highly Detailed Interactive Atlas

Objective We evaluated the usefulness of a three-dimensional (3D) interactive atlas to illustrate and teach surgical skull base anatomy in a clinical setting. Study Design A highly detailed atlas of the adult human skull base was created from multiple high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans of a healthy Caucasian male. It includes the parcellated and labeled bony skull base, intra- and extracranial vasculature, cranial nerves, cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem. We are reporting retrospectively on our experiences with employing the atlas for the simulation and teaching of neurosurgical approaches and concepts in a clinical setting. Setting The study was conducted at the University Hospital Mainz, Germany, and Hirslanden Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland. Participants Medical students and neurosurgical residents participated in this study. Results Handling the layered graphical user interface of the atlas requires some training; however, navigating the detailed 3D content from intraoperative perspectives led to quick comprehension of anatomical relationships that are otherwise difficult to perceive. Students and residents appreciated the collaborative learning effect when working with the atlas on large projected screens and markedly improved their anatomical knowledge after interacting with the software. Conclusion The skull base atlas provides an effective way to study essential surgical anatomy and to teach operative strategies in this complex region. Interactive 3D computer graphical environments are highly suitable for conveying complex anatomy and to train and review surgical concepts. They remain underutilized in clinical practice.

Virtual Geosites as Innovative Tools for Geoheritage Popularization: A Case Study from Eastern Iceland

In this paper, we have adopted a modern, cutting-edge methodology to make geoheritage sites (geosites) available and explorable worldwide, through both immersive and non-immersive virtual reality, particularly suitable also in COVID-19 times. In doing this, we have focused our attention on five different outcroppings, shallow magma bodies in Iceland: such geological objects, although being often underestimated, are, on the contrary, very suitable for geoheritage popularization purposes. These outstanding outcrops have been transformed in virtual outcrops (VOs) through UAV-based photogrammetry 3D modelling, and have been uploaded on a brand-new, dedicated online resource (GeoVires Virtual Reality Lab for Earth Sciences) which is accessible worldwide for Earth Science teaching and communication. As already stressed above, the choice of these Icelandic shallow magma bodies has been suggested by the fact that such geological objects, although extraordinarily challenging both in terms of geotourism and teaching, are seldom the object of attention from the international scientific community. The five VOs are defined here as virtual geosites (VGs) because they are, indeed, geosites that are fully accessible with a smartphone, a tablet, or a PC; moreover, each is provided with a detailed description and notes available during 3D exploration. Our work could represent a model for future, similar efforts aimed at popularizing Earth Sciences and making geoheritage available to a broad public through VGs.

Accelerating with FlyBrainLab the discovery of the functional logic of the Drosophila brain in the connectomic era

In recent years, a wealth of Drosophila neuroscience data have become available including cell type, connectome/synaptome datasets for both the larva and adult fly. To facilitate integration across data modalities and to accelerate the understanding of the functional logic of the fly brain, we have developed FlyBrainLab, a unique open-source computing platform that integrates 3D exploration and visualization of diverse datasets with interactive exploration of the functional logic of modeled executable brain circuits. FlyBrainLab's User Interface, Utilities Libraries and Circuit Libraries bring together neuroanatomical, neurogenetic and electrophysiological datasets with computational models of different researchers for validation and comparison within the same platform. Seeking to transcend the limitations of the connectome/synaptome, FlyBrainLab also provides libraries for molecular transduction arising in sensory coding in vision/olfaction. Together with sensory neuron activity data, these libraries serve as entry points for the exploration, analysis, comparison and evaluation of circuit functions of the fruit fly brain.