Welcome to EarthViz Hub
Discovering Data. Expanding Reach.
A research and development project to create a next-generation visualization catalog that builds on the foundation of NOAA's education flagship—Science On a Sphere—modernizing discovery, facilitating access, and expanding use of Earth and space science visualizations.
Vision
For more than two decades, NOAA's Science On a Sphere® (SOS) has helped millions of people all around the world explore our planet through powerful scientific visualizations. On display in 180+ institutions worldwide, NOAA’s Science On a Sphere is a 1.8-meter, 3D spherical visualization platform which provides a captivating way for informal and formal education institutions to show Earth and space science phenomena. It taps a large, curated collection of ~600 visualizations, including animations and real-time feeds from NOAA and NASA.
EarthViz Hub builds on that foundation.
A project of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation, EarthViz Hub supports the SOS program by modernizing the infrastructure and expanding the user and contributory bases of the existing operational catalog.
The project will develop an understanding of what platforms and users need in order to incorporate content from the SOS catalog, build and test prototypes to serve those needs, identify new sources of visualization content for users, and explore approaches to automate content ingestion and/or create a federated catalog approach.
EarthViz Hub aims to empower educators and institutions with modernized access to scientific visualizations that make complex Earth and space science more accessible and engaging for diverse audiences.
By combining trusted scientific content with modern cloud infrastructure, emerging visualization capabilities, and AI-enabled tools, EarthViz Hub can help expand the reach of powerful visualizations that support science education and public engagement at a global scale.
Key Objectives
Build
Build upon the existing SOS scientific visualization catalog and community
Modernize
Modernize access to scientific visualization content and real-time data feeds
Optimize
Optimize to make content easier to discover and use
Extend
Extend use of visualizations beyond SOS installations
Support
Support public engagement with science and education
Discovering Data
EarthViz Hub will . . .
Use generative AI to add context and link to vetted education resources that add relevance and provide connections to current events.
Enable new and existing users to search and explore a large, curated collection of Earth and space science visualizations.
Photo: Jane Doe
Expanding Reach
EarthViz Hub will develop content compatibility and utilization for a growing range of physical and virtual environments:
- Museums and science centers
- Planetariums
- Aquariums and zoos
- Universities & classrooms
- Visitor centers
- Immersive rooms
- LED and other spherical displays
- Video walls
- AR/VR and other emerging environments
Team
The project is led by Carrie McDougall who is the Acting Director of the Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation (CEEE) and Senior Associate Scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Hilary Peddicord, Science On a Sphere Education Lead, is the project manager for EarthViz Hub.
The Science On a Sphere program is co-managed by NOAA’s Office of Education, NOAA’s Global Systems Laboratory and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Environmental Sciences (CIRES), Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation (CEEE). Our interdisciplinary team, which includes software developers, educators, visualizers, education researchers and evaluators represent each of these organizations.
Connect
We will be hiring a senior web developer, a cloud engineer, and a post-doctoral researcher.
Interested? Send us an email.
This project is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Gordon and Betty Moore established the foundation to create positive outcomes for future generations. In pursuit of that vision, we advance scientific discovery, environmental conservation, and the special character of the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit Moore.org and follow @MooreFound.
The Science On a Sphere program is supported by NOAA funding through the Cooperative Institute for Earth System Research and Data Science award: NA22OAR4320151.
