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are needed to see this picture.

Creating Real-time Displays of OOS Data for Classroom and

Informal Use

Sage LichtenwalnerRutgers University

Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences

Ocean Sciences, February 25, 2010

COSEE-Networked Ocean World (NOW)COSEE-Networked Ocean World (NOW)

COSEE NOW is facilitating Ocean Observing partnerships to:•assess the knowledge & needs of Ocean Observing audiences•improve collaboration & coordination between scientists and educators•increase public awareness to improve society’s ocean literacy

265 Members100 Scientists

Linking ocean scientists and educators in the virtual world

Where are we going?

• The need for Ocean Data Visualization in Education

• Visualization Design Strategies– Strategies to improve data visualizations

– Design frameworks for using data in education

– The power of Narrative

• Potential Future Projects

What is “Visualization”?

Visual Analysis

Bioinformatics

Information Visualization (InfoVis) Charting

Graphing

Data Visualization

Data Art

Visual Analytics

“Visual analysis is not primarily about the pictures, but about finding ways to use our powerful visual systems to analyze data. It's analysis done in a visual way. It's visual exploration, visual data analysis, and visual presentation of results.”

Robert Kosara, eagereyes.org

Explorative Visualization

Information Art

Information Design

Infographics

Info Aesthetics

Pragmatic VisualizationArtistic Visualization

VisualizationVisualizationMapping

Cartography

Infoporn

Chart Junk

Scientific Illustration

Why is data visualization needed in educational environments?

We face numerous global challenges…

…that can only be solved by digging into huge datasets for solutions.

U.S. Science Majors

2007% of

Bachelor's

% of Populati

on

All Bachelors 1,541,704

35.4

S&E Bachelors 485,772 31.5 11.2

"Hard" Sciences 244,549 15.9 5.6

Earth/Atm/Ocean 4,077 0.3 0.1

NSF Science and Engineering Indicators: 2010

Understanding Data is in the Standards

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry:

Grades K-4

• Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses

• Use data to construct a reasonable explanation

• Communicate investigations and explanations

Grades 5-8

• Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze and interpret data

National Science Education Standards (1996)

2009 NJ Core Curriculum Standards

Science Education in the 21st CenturyStudents’ K-12 lab-science experiences should include the following:• Physical manipulation of authentic substances or systems: • Interaction with simulations• Interaction with authentic data• Access to large databases• Remote access to scientific instruments and observations

21st-Century Life and Careers• Use data accessed on the Web to inform solutions to problems and

the decision-making process. 9.1.4.A.4• Present resources and data in a format that effectively

communicates the meaning of the data and its implications for solving problems, using multiple perspectives. 9.1.12.B.1

The Need for Ocean Data Visualization

There is a… “need to develop the tools necessary… to effectively translate the results of that research in ways

that are useful to resource managers, policy-makers, and the general public.”

What Do Educators Want?

Top requested features:• Data visualization tools (ability to graph, map, chart data)• Inquiry-based lessons/activities • Lesson plans for teaching science concepts with RTD• Locally relevant data sets • Map interfaces • Stories or case studies that show how scientists use real-time data.

Middle-school teachers were more likely to have students use:• Computers at school as part of their lessons• The Internet/websites at school as part of their lessons• Real-time data (mostly student-collected data) as part of their

lessons

NERRS Real-Time Data Needs Assessment 2006

COSEE NOW Educator Survey 2008

1) Increase the effectiveness of data visualizations

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Follow Visualization Design Theory

Ben Fry’s seven stages of visualizing data:• Acquire• Parse• Filter• Mine• Represent• Refine• Interact

How to Approach a Problem

Iterative Development CycleIterative Development Cycle

Usability Testing

Why this Approach?• Verify appeal of current design• Verify effectiveness of current design• Modernize existing design• Determine usefulness of content• Determine how best to display data so that

it’s useful to the data users

An digital media evaluation method that measures the effectiveness of your digital [Web] product with members of your target audience.

Test Subjects:• Fishermen/woman: n = 7 • Ages: all 45+• Professions: varied• Fish at least weekly, mostly

offshore for tuna and shark• Use of Internet: 5 of 7 daily

Real-time Surface Currents• 5/7 users recognized the

arrows as the flow of water, but many were not sure. [3] did not realize this until the animation.

• 3/7 users identified the colors as temperatures, even after noting the colorbar axis showing velocity

• Some users wanted to click on the image to zoom in to see smaller regions

• Users did not like the units (cm/s). Because of the range of values (0-50), one user mistook them as wind speeds (i.e. mi/hr).

2) Consider How People Learn

Incorporate Learning Sciences Theory

Learning-for-Use • Motivation

– Experience demand– Experience curiosity

• Knowledge Construction– Observe– Receive communication

• Knowledge Refinement– Apply– Reflect

(Edelson 2001)

Visualization for Learners

Inquiry-based learning units must include:

• Motivating context• Learner-appropriate activities• Appropriate datasets• Scaffolding interfaces• Support for learning

(Edelson & Gordin 1998)

COOL Classroom

Pilot Evaluation

For more, see C. Ferraro’s poster this evening

The Hudson River Plume Adventure

2008 Pilot - 18 teachers

3) Use Data Visualization to tell a story

Pilot Program: RU27 Site & Education

For more, see D. Goldinger’s poster this evening

The Future

Informal: New Stories forGAIA &

The Global Microscope /Science on a Sphere

Formal:Real-Time Worksheets of IOOS DataUsing the Learning-for-Use framework

Example: Heat Capacity1. Curiosity - RT Buoy Data2. Observe - Air/Sea temps over a week3. Apply - Air/Sea temps over a year4. Reflect - Compare with land station

Other possibilities: The Seasons, Climate & Weather, Ocean Currents, Wind Energy transfer

These efforts will require collaborative “design teams” of educators and scientists

Summary• Data from Ocean Observing Systems provides a great

opportunity to connect learners with real-world ocean science

• Design frameworks do exist for developing data displays, often for “public” consumption, though most do not (yet) consider the specific needs of learners in formal and informal environments

• Understanding how people learn can aid in the development of effective data displays

• Like a good storyteller, good visualizations engage viewers and motivate them to explore further

Elements of

Data TranslationElements of

Data Translation

Art(Information Aesthetics)

Art(Information Aesthetics)

Programming(Technical Feasibility)

Programming(Technical Feasibility)

Science(Cool Content)

Science(Cool Content)

Storytelling(Persuasive Visualization)

Storytelling(Persuasive Visualization)

Usability(Interface Design)

Usability(Interface Design)

Pilot Program: GAIA

Rutgers COOLroomRutgers COOLroom Liberty Science CenterLiberty Science Center

Informal Science Education Centerwith ~1,000,000 visitors per year, serving

the NY/NJ school systems including urban largely minority schools facing

challenges.

Cutting-edge OOS Research& Real-time Data

Telling RTD Stories with LSC’s “GAIA”

“Students appreciate the fact they’re getting straight-out data. They can come up with their own conclusions. It becomes more personal and they take a greater interest.”- Katie Gardner, LSC Educator