From Raw to Awe: Transforming and Depicting Earth Science Data
In an era marked by exponential growth in data collected from diverse sources such as satellites, ground observations, and other large instruments, NASA’s Earth Information Center (EIC) aggregates and presents this data as visualizations, turning raw data into insightful visual narratives.
EIC content design, highlighting the art of combining data streams into a comprehensive set of dashboards, creates the perception of a NASA Mission Control Center. Central to this narrative is the benefit of presenting near-real-time data to enable a better understanding of our planet. For example, NASA data models that capture air quality are displayed on a multi-panel hyperwall next to “vital signs” of the planet such as air temperature rise, sea level rise, carbon dioxide, methane, and other air quality measurements.
The technical challenges of presenting a comprehensive view of climate-related themes involve aggregating diverse data sources, integrating data into a cohesive format, and ensuring near-real-time updates to convey information in a clear and timely manner.
Quick Facts
Over the years, I've seen hotter days with less rain. So, agriculture has to figure out how to get as much per drop of water as we can ... Data is the key. If we can measure it, we can quantify it, we can solve it.
- Since its opening at NASA Headquarters in late June 2023, the EIC has been experienced by more than 1,000 visitors, including dignitaries, government officials, scientists, K-12 students, and the public at large.
- Information provided by the EIC is used by policy makers, scientists, and a wide variety of NASA data users (farmers, business owners, and researchers).
- Data sources are provided by NASA and its partners, including USGS, NOAA, USDA, USAID, EPA, and FEMA.
- Some of the visualizations included in the EIC dashboards are generated by simulations run on the NASA Center for Climate Simulation’s Discover supercomputer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Researchers
- Brenda Lopez Silva, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Please enable Javascript to see email address.
- Michael Chyatte, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Please enable Javascript to see email address.
