Including a Spherical Weather Display in the Suomi Science Museum

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Including a Spherical Weather Display in the
Suomi Science Museum

• Displaying real-time weather imagery on a three
  dimensional sphere located in the AOSS building
  directly after data is downloaded from rooftop
  satellite dishes and processed at the SSEC data
  center will demonstrate SSECs expertise to all
  museum visitors while educating and inspiring
  learners of all ages.
• Advantages of Spherical Display Systems
• Spheres show the planet in its true proportion
• Spheres provide an intuitive picture of Earth
  that helps promote a greater understanding of the
  environment
• Spheres stimulate the imagination in a way that
  is both engaging and educational
• Spheres are ubiquitous in nature planets,
  stars, and most biological cells are spheres
• Spherical display systems are powerful tools
  that help achieve NOAA, NASA and UW educational
  goals
• Main Challenge related to Spherical Weather
  Displays
• Cost These systems range from 30,000 for
  2-foot globes to 200,000 for a 4-foot globe

Vendors Omni Globes- Available in 32 and 60
(1.5 meter) http//www.arcscience.com/omni.htm

SSEC Data Products http//www.ssec.wisc.edu/sos/

Magic Planet- Available in 24, 36 48"
(190,000) http//www.globalimagination.com
SSEC Water Vapor Imagery
While the default display will show weather
patterns on Earth, every planet in the solar
system could be represented by the sphere along
with any 3-D data set such as plate tectonics,
earthquakes and past climates.