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As students head back to school, teachers have a new tool that brings NASA satellite data down to their earthly classrooms.<\/p>\n
For over 50 years of observing Earth, NASA\u2019s satellites have collected petabytes of global science data (that\u2019s millions and millions of gigabytes)\u00a0\u2013 with terabytes more coming in by the day. Since 2004, the My NASA Data website has been developing ways for students and teachers of grades 3-12 to understand, and visualize NASA data, and to help incorporate those measurements into practical science lessons.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have three different types of lesson plans, some of which are student-facing and some are teacher-facing,\u201d said Angie Rizzi, My NASA Data task lead, based at NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. \u201cTeachers can download complete lesson plans or display a wide variety of Earth data. There are also lessons written for students to interact with directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
A key component of the My NASA Data site is the newly updated Earth System Data Explorer visualization tool, which allows users to access and download NASA Earth data. Educators can explore the data then create custom data tables, graphs, and plots to help students\u00a0visualize the data. Students can create and investigate comparisons between\u00a0 land surface temperatures, cloud cover, extreme heat, and a wide range of other characteristics for a specific location or region around the globe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Earth System Data Explorer tool has a collection of science datasets organized by different spheres of the Earth system,\u201d explained Desiray Wilson, My NASA Data scientific programmer. The program highlights six areas of study: atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth as a system. \u201cThe data goes as far back as the 1980s, and we are getting more daily datasets. It\u2019s really good for looking at historical trends, regional trends, and patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n
My NASA Data had over one million site visits last year, with some of the most popular searches focusing on temperatures, precipitation, water vapor, and air quality.<\/p>\n
Natalie Macke has been teaching for 20 years and is a science teacher at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey. Teachers like Macke help shape the lessons\u00a0on the site\u00a0through internships with the My NASA Data team.\u00a0Teachers\u2019 suggestions were also incorporated to enhance the visualization tool by adding new features that now allow users to swipe between visual layers of data and make side-by-side comparisons. Users can also now click on a location to display latitude and longitude and variable data streamlining the previous site which required manual input of latitude and longitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new visualization tool is very much a point-and-click layout like our students are used to in terms of just quickly selecting data they want to see,\u201d said Macke. \u201cInstantaneously, a map of the Earth comes up, or just the outline, and they can get the satellite view. So if they\u2019re looking for a specific city, they can find the city on the map and quickly grab a dataset or multiple datasets and overlay it on the map to make visual comparisons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even more valuable than creating visualizations for one specific lesson, elaborated Macke, is the opportunity My NASA Data provides for students to understand the importance of interpreting, verifying, and using datasets in their daily lives. This skill, she said, is invaluable, because it helps spread data literacy enabling users to look at data with a discriminating eye and learn to discern between assumptions and valid conclusions.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents can relate the data map to literally what\u2019s happening outside their window, showing them how NASA Earth system satellite data relates to real life,\u201d said Macke. \u201cCreating a data literate public \u2013 meaning they understand the context and framework of the data they are working with and realizing the connection between the data and the real world \u2013 hopefully will intrigue them to continue to explore and learn about the Earth and start asking questions. That\u2019s what got me into science when I was a little kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
My NASA Data<\/p>\n
Earth System Data Explorer<\/p>\n
Join the My NASA Data Educator Community<\/p>\n<\/div>\n