Designing an Augmented Reality App to Communicate and Engage Users in Real-Time Satellite Data

The Merge Cube was launched in 2017 by Merge Labs, Inc. as a toy for Augmented Reality (AR). Originally meant more for children’s games, the Merge Cube shows promise in becoming a simple data visualization platform by which scientists can communicate their data to the general public, citizen scientists, and the K-12 classroom. Apps such as HoloGLOBE and MountainMetCube have been developed to render both raster and vector data to the Merge Cube. MountainMetCube, a prototype AR app for the Merge Cube developed at Millersville University, is used to visualize 3D concepts in fluid dynamics and cloud structure in the field of mountain meteorology. HoloGLOBE is the first AR app to render real-time data to the Merge Cube. The app shows real-time weather, earthquakes, fires, surface temperatures and more, making for a dynamic, ever-changing experience for the user each time the app is started. Available for both Android and iOS, HoloGLOBE has been well received by many, including educators, and is proving useful in getting NASA and NOAA satellite datasets to classroom students and quite literally to the palm of their hands. NASA has also designed an extension module to HoloGLOBE for their ICESat-2 satellite. A number of design considerations have been made during HoloGLOBE’s development cycle. Two particular challenges were to: 1) Design an AR framework for Big Data visualizations that balances mobile performance and data resolution; 2) Design a simple and intuitive user interface bounded to a restricted digital volume, inherent to the single target AR method. HoloGLOBE is a product of the Institute for Earth Observations at Palmyra Cove. The Institute continues to investigate various mixed reality technologies as well as design and prototype apps that allow users to explore real-time satellite data at the Institute's Environmental Discovery Center and onboard the Institute's Mobile Science Lab. Pre-college teacher training to use and assess these apps have been made possible by the National Science Foundation (NSF DUE-1610911).