Afternoon at the NC Natural Science Museum

 

2:45 - Using Satellites to Track and Share Weather and Climate Information, Margaret Mooney 

This session will feature stunning satellite imagery of recent extreme weather events before sharing a on-line resource for timely global weather and climate datasets (http://sphere.ssec.wisc.edu/) from the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the UW-Madison. 

 

3:05 - The SEDAC Population Estimation Service and Data Resources, Bob Downs

Scientific data products and services are freely available online from the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Easy to use tools, like the SEDAC Population Estimation Service, can improve capabilities for disaster planning, response, and management.  The SEDAC Population Estimation Service and other data resources will be demonstrated to show how scientific data products and services can be used to prepare for disasters and other events.

 

3:25 - Understanding Hurricanes and Volcanic Eruptions through MY NASA DATA, Preston Lewis

This presentation will focus on how we can understand and explain future natural disasters, through a better understanding the ones that have happened in the past, specifically hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. As satellites orbit the earth, they are constantly scanning and recording vital information about our Earth. With in this data, it is possible to key in on past hurricanes and volcanic eruptions and take a detailed look at each event. The MY NASA DATA Live Access Server (LAS) houses 250 datasets that help the end user better understand our Earth. By studying the correct dataset in a particular location it is possible to have a digital snapshot of the events that take place and impact so many people in the world. With the LAS, users can generate custom data visualizations on the fly to better suit their needs in the classroom. These custom visualizations include color plots, color plot comparisons, time series plots, animations and even Google Earth overlays. By using this powerful visualization tool, teachers and students can take a look at many of the hurricanes and eruptions that have happened in the past through NASA satellite data. It is with this information that they can better understand the events and plan for them in the future.

 

3:45 - Bringing NASA Down to Earth, Lawrence Friedl

 

4:05 - Out of the Box Disaster Response In 15 Minutes: A Case Study, Matt Still

After dealing with the devastating results of a natural disaster, relief agencies spring to life to catalog the damage and pick up the pieces. This can be a daunting task when you consider the scale of the catastrophe, the number of affected homes and businesses, and the number of field crew members collecting each tiny bit of information to be submitted later. This case study focuses on the State of Louisiana’s Emergency Management Agency and how they were able to take a manual, paper-based process, complete with possible data errors and a multi-step submission process, and transform it into a powerful, smart-device-enabled, digital tool that allowed them to collect and submit over 190 points within a few hours.

 

4:25 - The NOAA View imagery portal: interact with a world of data, Dan Pisut

After briefly introducing NASA’s fleet of environmental satellites, this talk will show stunning images of the Earth captured by the satellites.  The talk will also present examples of how the data is applied to support decisions and benefit society. 

 

4:45 - NASA Worldview – Bringing Near Real-Time Satellite Imagery to You, Matt Cechini