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NASA Goddard Earth Observing Data in Google Earth

Aijun Chen, Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center, NASA GSFC, Code 610.2, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA, CSISS/GMU, aijun.chen@nasa.gov (Presenting)
Gregory Leptoukh, Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC),, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 610.2, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA, gregory.leptoukh@nasa.gov
Steven Kempler, Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC),, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 610.2, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA, steven.j.kempler@nasa.gov
Christopher Lynnes, Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC),, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 610.2, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA, chris.lynnes@nasa.gov

NASA Earth Observing System (EOS), a series of satellites gazing down on Earth from space, collets huge volumes of data of our planet daily. Those massive data are being used to observer and research the atmosphere, oceans, and land, and their influence on climate and weather. Google Earth, the representative of the Virtual Globes, is changing the way that general public recognize our planet and professional scientists discover, add, and share information. NASA Goddard Earth Science (GES) Data and Information Service Center (DISC) is doing some pioneer work integrating Earth Science imagery in Google Earth for facilitating scientific research and releasing of geospatial-related public information. Two-dimensional (2D) mapped data and three-dimensional vertical profiles are rendered and displayed in Google Earth. The 2D data are processed via OPeNDAP (Open Source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol) and standard Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)’s Web Map Service (WMS), and finally images are produced and displayed in Google Earth. 3D vertical profiles are first processed via Giovanni (GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization ANd aNalysis Infrastructure) A-Train instance to produce the images. The images are put onto a generalized COLLADA (COLLAborative Design Activity) 3D model as the texture of the model. Based on the designed COLLADA models and satellite orbit coordinates, an orbit curtain model is designed and implemented in KML (Keyhole Markup Language) format. The resultant orbit curtain makes vertical data viewable, transparently or opaquely, in Google Earth. The processed 2D data includes: TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Mission Measurements), AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder)/Aqua, MODIS (Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)/Terra & Aqua, etc. The processed 3D vertical profiles are from satellite CloudSat, CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation), and Aqua (mainly MODIS and AIRS products) to address cloud, aerosol, and H2O characteristics and atmospheric temperature profile in the form of curtain along the satellite orbit. Simultaneous visualization and efficient exploration of the relationships among quantitative geospatial data (e.g. comparing the vertical data profiles with MODIS, AIRS data and TRMM precipitation data) becomes possible.



Refs:

Chen, A., Leptoukh, G., Kempler, S., Nadeau, D., Zhang, X., and Di, L., Augmenting the research value of geospatial data using Google Earth. In: (ed.) De Paor, D., Google Earth Science, Journal of the Virtual Explorer, Electronic Edition, ISSN 1441-8142, Volume 31, Paper 4, 2008.

http://www.spacetoday.org/

http://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov/


NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Active Awards Represented by this Poster:

  • Award: OTHER
     

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