Innovative uses of GigaPan Technology for Onsite and Distance Education

GigaPans are gigapixel panoramic images that can be viewed at a wide range of magnifications, allowing users to explore them in various degrees of detail from the smallest scale to the full image extent. In addition to panoramic images captured with the GigaPan camera mount ('Dry Falls' - http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/89093), users can also upload annotated images (For example, 'Massanutten sandstone slab with trace fossils (annotated)', http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/124295) and satellite images (For example, 'Geology vs. Topography - State of Connecticut', http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/111265). Panoramas with similar topics have been gathered together on the site in galleries, both user-generated and site-curated (For example, http://www.gigapan.com/galleries?categories=geology&page=1). Further innovations in display technology have also led to the development of improved viewers (for example, the annotations in the image linked above can be explored via paired viewers at http://coursecontent.nic.edu/bdrichards/gigapixelimages/callanview) GigaPan panoramas can be created through use of the GigaPan robotic camera mount and a digital camera (different models of the camera mount are available and work with a wide range of cameras). The camera mount can be used to create high-resolution pans ranging in scale from hand sample to outcrop up to landscape via the stitching software included with the robotic mount. The software can also be used to generate GigaPan images from other sources, such as thin section or satellite images, so these images can also be viewed with the online viewer. GigaPan images are typically viewed via a web-based interface that allows the user to interact with the image from the limits of the image detail up to the full panorama. After uploading, information can be added to panoramas with both text captions and geo-referencing (geo-located panoramas can then be viewed in Google Earth). Users can record specific locations and zoom levels in these images via "snapshots": these snapshots can direct others to the same location in the image as well as generate conversations with attached text comments. Users can also group related GigaPans by creating "galleries" of thematically related images (similar to photo albums). Gigapixel images can also be formatted for processing and viewing in an increasing number of platforms/modes as software vendors and internet browsers begin to provide 'add-in' support. This opens up opportunities for innovative adaptations for geoscience education. (For example, http://coursecontent.nic.edu/bdrichards/gigapixelimages/dryfalls) Specific applications of these images for geoscience educations include classroom activities and independent exercises that encourage students to take an active inquiry-based approach to understanding geoscience concepts at multiple skill levels. GigaPans in field research serve as both records of field locations and additional datasets for detailed analyses, such as observing color changes or variations in grain size. Related GigaPans can be also be presented together when embedded in webpages, useful for generating exercises for education purposes or for analyses of outcrops from the macro (landscape, outcrop) down to the micro scale (hand sample, thin section).