Learn More About Earth’s Ecology and Weather With the New NOAA App
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific government agency that deals with things like our oceans and waterways, and the Earth’s atmosphere.
The group has a product called Sphere Science that displays some data on a large, room-sized sphere. It can usually be found in museums. If you have ever seen something like the winds on the projection of a huge globe in a museum, most likely it was Science in the Sphere.
You can now have a similar experience on your iPad or phone.
SOS Explorer is the mobile version of NOAA’s Sphere Science program. Available free for iOS and Android, you can view animated images of everything from atmospheric storms and climate change to the rings of Saturn.
You know complex environmental topics that are better understood with a little visual aid.
Here are some of the available sample data:
The last seasons of hurricanes
Bird migration
Earthquake
Snow and ice
Ocean currents
Historical tsunamis
Facebook friendship
Air traffic
The planets of the solar system
Climate change models
360 underwater images
In the app, you essentially select what you want to see and then display that on a virtual globe in the app. You can zoom in different parts if you like and customize your experience according to your interests.
It’s not exactly a substitute for a museum experience, but if you’re interested in earth science, this can be a fun thing to play with and maybe learn along the way.