GeoMapApp, Virtual Ocean and Other Cutting-Edge Resources for Representing Geoscience Data

GeoMapApp (http://www.geomapapp.org) and Virtual Ocean (http://www.virtualocean.org/) are free data exploration and visualisation tools that work on any computer and have wide application across the geosciences for both research and education. As map-based interactive tools, they allow users to plot, manipulate and represent data in an intuitive geographical reference frame. GeoMapApp contains a broad range of built-in and linked geoscience data sets, enabling users to rapidly and conveniently explore geo-referenced data from multiple sources, to generate compelling visualisations, and to create custom maps and grids. Data can be coloured and scaled, contoured, shaded, and graphed, and profiles can be taken. The lasso tool provides an easy way to select data from either the map window or from graphs. The layer manager allows multiple data sets to appear in the map window, instantly providing a convenient way to compare and contrast data. Such hands-on innovative functionality can be used effectively to highlight features and discern trends in data. Examples of available data sets include geophysical ship track profiles and multibeam swaths; earthquake, volcano and heatflow information; geochemical tables; plate tectonic data sets; physical oceanography water column profiles; lakes and rivers. Some data sets such as drill core profiles and single-/multi-channel seismics have a customised interface that enables enhanced functionality to aid intuitive visual representation. Users can also import their own data sets and grids. A user guide, multi-media tutorials, and webinar are available and contain many examples of using these resources. Virtual Ocean combines the versatility of GeoMapApp with a 3-D earth browser built using NASA WorldWind code. The base map for GeoMapApp and Virtual Ocean comprises the continuously-updated multi-resolution Global Multi-Resolution Topography (GMRT, http://www.marine-geo.org/portals/gmrt/). This synthesis incorporates multibeam swath bathymetry and high-resolution grids in the oceans, with highly-detailed land elevations to produce a seamless physiographic earth representation. The use of the GMRT base map provides a high visual impact. These tools are being developed by the Marine Geoscience Data System group, http://www.marine-geo.org/ . Other resources for enhancing the representation of data include a suite of KML files created to allow users to view a number of MGDS-related data sets using Google Earth™ (http://www.marine-geo.org/tools/kmls.php). MediaBank (http://media.marine-geo.org/), an on-line image and video gallery, contains many images - life forms around hydrothermal vents, for example - purposefully selected for use in education and communication with the general public. Examples will be shown of using these resources to effectively represent and analyse data.