The Lost Gems of Hawaii

Witness and preserve Hawaii's lost beauty and heritage before the fires. Support the recovery by exploring the devastation and contributing through donation links integrated into the experience.

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Inspiration

Aloha! A friend from Hawaii introduced me to the rich Hawaiian culture, which increased my admiration for its rich heritage and natural beauty. During that time I had conversations with peers and noticed many dismissed the wildfires in Hawaii just as another wildfire. This indifference motivated me to create a project that could visually demonstrate the true impact of the fires, enabling people to grasp the scale of devastation and develop empathy for the affected communities and show them ways to support recovery.

What it does

The project showcases photorealistic 3D visualizations of Hawaii before the fires and overlayed images of the aftermath using standard image captures. It helps users experience the stark contrast and understand the destruction caused by the wildfires. This might motivate them to donate and support various organisations supporting the recovery of the paradise.

How I built it

The project was developed using:

React for the web application. Cesium for rendering 3D Tilesets. Resium to integrate Cesium with React and handle interactive camera controls. Google Maps Platform for the photorealistic 3D Maps layer to display pre-fire Hawaii.

Challenges I ran into

The lack of beginner-friendly documentation for Resium posed a significant challenge during the development process. Difficulty accessing historical data for certain areas, which restricted some visualizations.

Accomplishments that I am proud of

1) Successfully transforming an abstract idea into a visual experience that moved peers who were initially indifferent to the fire's impact. 2) Demonstrating an innovative way of navigating and interacting with 3D visualizations, paving the way for similar applications.

What I learned

1) A deeper understanding of the cultural and emotional impact of the fires on the people of Hawaii. 2) The technical intricacies of implementing Google’s Photorealistic SDK and integrating it with Cesium. How visualization tools can effectively convey complex narratives to diverse audiences.

What's next for Hawaii Fire Awareness

Animating debris cleanup and rebuilding visualizations for more impactful storytelling. Adding animated evacuation pathways for future calamities. Providing live updates from various effort groups working on recovery and rebuilding.

Mahalo Nui

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