The Giovanni-NEO Oceanographic Education Cookbook

Instructional

James G. AckerDavid HerringGregory LeptoukhSuhung ShenSteven Kempler

NASA Goddard Earth SciencesData and Information Services Center (GES DISC)&NASA Goddard Earth SciencesOffice of Outreach

AGU/ASLO/TOS Ocean Sciences Meeting 2008

MotivationMotivation

The GES DISC and the Earth Sciences Division The GES DISC and the Earth Sciences Division Office of Outreach have created two Office of Outreach have created two powerfulpowerful online data analysis tools that can online data analysis tools that can be applied to remote sensing databe applied to remote sensing data

… … using nothing more than a Web browser!using nothing more than a Web browser!

Our motivation is to facilitate the use of these Our motivation is to facilitate the use of these tools by educators (and students), and also tools by educators (and students), and also by the scientifically-minded publicby the scientifically-minded public

Giovanni:Giovanni: GES DISC Interactive Online Visualization ANd GES DISC Interactive Online Visualization ANd

aNalysis InfrastructureaNalysis Infrastructure

The main components of Giovanni are:

interactive map for region-of-interest selection; menu of available data products; calendar menu for time-period selection; menu of visualization options; visualization-specific options (color palette, axis values); menu of output options

Area plot

Animations display successivearea plots

Time -series

Hövmoller plots

Overlay Plots

X-Y scatter plots(here, SST vs. chlorophyll)

Multiple data producttime-series(here, SST vs. chlorophyll,in a Giovanni output figureadapted for publication)

NEONEONASA Earth ObservationsNASA Earth Observations

The main components of NEO are:

Data file selection interface – global, multiple datasets Search interface ICE (Image Composite Editor) which allows: True-color & false color composites Scatter plots or graphs of transects Histogram analyses Probe function: find unit values and lat-lon info per pixel Animate time-series images Perform math functions Zoom & pan Assign color palettes

Examples of NEO visualizationsExamples of NEO visualizations

Scatter Plot

Transect Plot

Histogram

PhilosophyPhilosophyMany educational and scientific organizations Many educational and scientific organizations

have created excellent, sophisticated “end-have created excellent, sophisticated “end-to-end” lesson plans using remote-sensing to-end” lesson plans using remote-sensing datadata

Our philosophy is to provide educators* with a Our philosophy is to provide educators* with a “pick-and-choose” resource that can be “pick-and-choose” resource that can be easilyeasily integrated into existing lesson plans integrated into existing lesson plans or courses of instruction – which will also or courses of instruction – which will also foster skill building with the Giovanni and foster skill building with the Giovanni and NEO toolsNEO tools

* * and the public, providing informal environmental research and and the public, providing informal environmental research and education education

Sometimes these lesson plans are a less-than-perfect fit forwhat’s being taught

Surmounting the barrier of established curricula in classroom instruction!

Skilled researchers and teachers who have taught courses for many years know what works, and they cover the material they have determined to be necessary.

Adding something “new” like Giovanni and NEO usually requires replacing an instructional element that has functioned well with something as good – preferably better.

AND it should be easy for them to do that!!

Question: What is needed to facilitate Giovanni and NEOimplementation in oceanographic education?

Answer: A cookbook – providing “recipes”for the investigation of a multitude of regions andoceanographic processes.

A skilled chef – the classroom instructor – can selectthe appropriate recipes which satisfy the educational requirements of a particular course.

A recipe would indicate the data products, visualizations, regions, time periods, etc. to produce the desired output – which the student interprets.

Components of the Giovanni-NEO Components of the Giovanni-NEO Instructional CookbookInstructional Cookbook

IntroductionIntroductionHow to use it; what the data products mean; what How to use it; what the data products mean; what

scientists are interested in; data quality concernsscientists are interested in; data quality concerns FunctionsFunctionsInstructions on creating the basic visualizations and Instructions on creating the basic visualizations and

analyses in Giovanni and NEOanalyses in Giovanni and NEO Recipes!Recipes!Step-by-step presentations for creating visualizations Step-by-step presentations for creating visualizations

and analyses appropriate for region or topic - and analyses appropriate for region or topic - EXPANDABLEEXPANDABLE

Additional InformationAdditional InformationResources (“high-quality” links) providing investigationalResources (“high-quality” links) providing investigational

opportunities, expanding the range of knowledge opportunities, expanding the range of knowledge

OrganizationOrganization

Each recipe chapter will be organized Each recipe chapter will be organized as Local – Regional – Global topics.as Local – Regional – Global topics.

This organizational strategy facilitates This organizational strategy facilitates connectivity between the observing connectivity between the observing environment of the users environment of the users (teachers/students/public) with the (teachers/students/public) with the larger-scale “view from space” larger-scale “view from space” provided by remote sensing dataprovided by remote sensing data

Example: East Australia CurrentExample: East Australia Current

The Introduction to each recipe stateswhich data sets and visualizations will beused, and providesa visual and numerical(lat/lon) location guide

Location Guide

Example: East Australia CurrentExample: East Australia Current

Giovanni area plots of Sea Surface TemperatureandChlorophyll Concentration

Chlorophyll Concentration plotutilizes theCustomized Color Scale option

Example: East Australia CurrentExample: East Australia CurrentNEO: Side-by-side chlorophyll and sea surface temperature transect analysis

Java applet allows interactive transect plot drawing

Transect plots show fronts and eddies clearly

EAC FrontNortherneddy Southern

eddy

Development PlanDevelopment Plan

The current Giovanni-NEO oceanographic The current Giovanni-NEO oceanographic instructional cookbook is a demonstration instructional cookbook is a demonstration prototypeprototype

A workshop (April-May) at GSFC will refine A workshop (April-May) at GSFC will refine the concept and objectives; attendees will the concept and objectives; attendees will be scientists, data specialists, formal and be scientists, data specialists, formal and informal educatorsinformal educators

The cookbook will be expanded into The cookbook will be expanded into multiple discipline areasmultiple discipline areas

Take a look!Take a look!

http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/

oceancolor/locus/oceancolor/locus/

Giovanni_NEO_cookbook_Introduction.shtmlGiovanni_NEO_cookbook_Introduction.shtml

ORORjust Google “Laboratory for Ocean Color just Google “Laboratory for Ocean Color

Users” !Users” !

Feedback and comments welcome:jim.acker@nasa.gov

Thanks for listening!