The synergistic use of NASA satellite data from multiple sensors on multiple satellite platforms promises the ability to address fundamental scientific questions about detailed processes and connections in the Earth system. However, issues of data integration, visualization and analysis remain a challenge. Methods of interactive exploratory analysis and visualization, particularly in three (spatial) and four (spatial+temporal) dimensions are in their infancy. Currently, the most sophisticated data visualization approaches rely on dimensional reduction techniques (e.g., cross-sections, Hovmöller diagrams) to represent datasets that are fundamentally 3-D (or 4-D) within the 2-D limitations of the page or computer screen. Virtual globes, such as Google Earth, provide a unified environment within which measurements from multiple sources can be combined to allow data to be visualized and explored interactively in a full 3-D (or 4-D) context.

Visualizations have been created for the following instruments: MISR, TES, MODIS, GOES, CloudSat, and CALIPSO. We will describe some of the innovative approaches that were developed specifically to allow these datasets to be visualized using Google Earth without making the display too cluttered or confusing, as well as new methods to make data access easier for the user.