Natural Science Visualization Using Digital Theater Software: Adapting Existing Planetarium Software to Model Ecological Systems

Data in the natural sciences can often be dense and difficult to understand. The process of visualizing this data helps to alleviate these issues. In this paper, we demonstrate how using digital theater software built for planetaria can be an appropriate medium in which to facilitate these visualizations; not only because of the software's complex and comprehensive graphics engine, but also as a means to convey the information this data is representing to the general public in way that is understandable, accessible and enjoyable. We exemplify the use of this technology through a case study where the simulation of water molecules in the Nyack Floodplain on the Middle Fork Flathead River, are visualized with dome technology.