ABSTRACT:
Here
we report on development of a Geographic Visualization (geovisualization) environment
that makes use of user manipulable map animation to facilitate learning
about global scale weather phenomena. The research is part of a larger
project (called Visualizing Earth) directed to exploration of cognitive
issues associated with the use of visualization methods and tools
in earth science education. After introducing the context for and
particular goals of our research efforts we briefly review some key
aspects of previous literature and describe the spatiotemporal geovisualization
environment we have designed. The next stage of the project is to
conduct an informal focus group evaluation of the environment (to
be reported in Poland), then (after any necessary revisions to the
environment) to conduct a formal human-subjects experiment designed
to explore the impacts of the temporal focusing and brushing interface
controls on (1) user strategies for exploring spatial and temporal
aspects of global weather patterns and (2) on the understanding of
those space-time patterns.
