--> Abstract: Using HyperCard Animations to Visualize Geologic Hazards, by T. R. Alpha; #90958 (1995).

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Abstract: Using HyperCard Animations to Visualize Geologic Hazards

Tau Rho Alpha

The general public has been aware of the importance of the environment for some time. More recently their interest has broadened to include geologic hazard. One good way to communicate information about geologic hazards and processes to this increasing number of interested individuals of all ages is through the use of a written description, a visual portrayal in three dimensions, and a visual impression of the passage of time. With the development of interactive multimedia, displaying and forming a mental image of a multivariate physical process becomes easier.

HyperCard from Apple Computer, Inc., is an interactive multimedia platform that can be easily used to explain such processes. HyperCard helps bridge the gap between visualization, the forming of a mental image, and conceptualization, the ability to display and understand that mental image in a temporal context. Complex geologic ideas can be communicated with clarity, precision, and efficiency. Little computer knowledge is needed to successfully run HyperCard as it is controlled entirely by menus and dialog boxes. The flexibility of HyperCard's multiple linkages in merging text, graphic images, animations, and sound allows the passage of time to be effectively visualized. User interest is high, and they respond enthusiastically to the animated descriptions. Sequential or evolutional th nking grows effortlessly from the animations. The public thus becomes aware of our planet and its geologic processes and hazards. They also learn that geology is fun.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90958©1995 AAPG Pacific Section Meeting, San Francisco, California