HR: 1340h
AN: IN43A-0911 [Abstracts]
TI: Innovative Uses of Google Earth to Facilitate Scientific Understanding of Meteorological Observations, Forecasts and Analyses
AU: * Curtis, C A
EM: cindy.curtis@nrlmry.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Marine Meteorological Division
7 Grace Hopper Avenue, Stop 2, Monterey, CA 93943-5502, United States
AU: Turk, F J
EM: joe.turk@nrlmry.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Marine Meteorological Division
7 Grace Hopper Avenue, Stop 2, Monterey, CA 93943-5502, United States
AU: Hyer, E J
EM: edward.hyer@nrlmry.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Marine Meteorological Division
7 Grace Hopper Avenue, Stop 2, Monterey, CA 93943-5502, United States
AU: Hyer, E J
EM: edward.hyer@nrlmry.navy.mil
AF: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Visiting Scientist Programs, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, United States
AU: Reid, J S
EM: jeff.reid@nrlmry.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Marine Meteorological Division
7 Grace Hopper Avenue, Stop 2, Monterey, CA 93943-5502, United States
AB:
The Google Earth™ application provides a unique means to display, animate and layer imagery and geophysical
data on a 3-dimensional globe without the distortions imparted by a flat display. Using Google Earth™, high
resolution imagery from environmental satellite data such as the MODIS sensor onboard EOS Terra and Aqua
can be viewed at various levels of detail, and updated dynamically as new datasets arrive. Observations and
numerical weather prediction model forecasts can be viewed and directly compared. It also provides a forum for
training and education of geophysical concepts (atmospheric and space weather, land surface processes,
climate, oceanography, etc.) by fusing the aspects of a web-browser with the capability to geo-reference and geo-
fuse multiple layers of data.
This poster shows several examples that demonstrate how the Google Earth™ application can be used to
display meteorological datasets. For example, an animation of satellite rainfall images from a blend of satellite
types gives the user an immediate indication of heavy rain and flooding. 3-D aircraft flight tracks from a recent
field experiment show how the in-situ data gathered onboard the aircraft can be compared with coordinated
ground-based observations. We also demonstrate how to display data selected from a webpage directly into
Google Earth™, a land cover database integrated with active fire data, and the use of multispectral and multi-
resolution satellite data as you zoom in on a tropical cyclone.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906)
DE: 0530 Data presentation and visualization
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
DE: 3311 Clouds and aerosols
DE: 3354 Precipitation (1854)
SC: Earth and Space Science Informatics [IN]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting