Best Practices in Visualization

# Impetus

## Production standards

### SVS can produce content at will. What guidelines can they follow?

#### Orientation

#### Evaluation

### Feedback mechanism

## Growing body of work on sci viz

### Cartographic concepts

#### Visual hierarchy

##### Title safe area

###### Footprints established this and can share the data

###### 

##### Layering 

###### Generate paired sets of visualizations and overlay layers

####### In anticipation of SoS display software evolving, it is possible to provide paired sets that institutions could composite themselves

####### Free linux tools for compositing

###### (Existing plans)

###### latitudinal area where text is not useful

#### Color theory (Carol Brewer's color brewer)

##### [Transparency]{.underline}

###### Thresholds of data values 

###### Ozone, sea ice concentration

#### Fonts

##### Size

### Evaluation

Is this the realm of NSF rather than NOAA? There is a line between basic
research and guidelines for media production.

#### Anecdotal vs. formal

##### Documentation of reach

##### Efectiveness measures

#### How is spherical different from other display methods?

#### Formative evaluation

#### Summative

#### Story

##### Knowledge acquisition and retention

##### 

# Programs

## Support fot this is different than for rendered content

### e.g., training

### teleconferences

#### include scientist

#### cultural/stories

## Example: Linking visualizations in a series

### Question-driven: an approach to layering

#### Cloud formation

#### Sst

#### NRT IR; water vapor

#### Precip

#### Ocean currents

### Scripts are needed

#### Conform to learning standards

#### Scientific review

#### Cultural lenses

##### e.g., Hawaiian culture

##### oral tradition; perception as learning/sharing opportunity

##### institutions can bring their perspective and understanding of their audiences 

### Effective use of NRT data

## Suggested standards

### Content is focused at appropriate level

### Point of contact

### Explanation

# Creating guidelines

## Spatial resolution

### Is 4000x2000 necessary or useful?

#### Footprints 

#### Test 2k x 1k??

### Currently 2048 x 1024 is sufficient given the constraints of the system

### Use powers of 2, though current systems do not strictly require this

### No immediate plans for using 4096x2048, but this is highest conceivably necessary over next 5 years 

### Shooting in HD is probably better looking, regardless

### Unrendered real-time capacity exists for 2048 x 1024 now 15-20 fps

### Magic Planet also uses 2048 x 1024

## Spatial extent

### How to use high-resolution insets?

#### Zoom is helpful

#### Incorporation of alternate displays

##### flat-panel 

##### touch tables

#### Link displays

#### JMU: don't use the picture-in-picture! It's confusing and doesn't use the Sphere to its greatest advantage

#### Maintain spherical nature of sphere

##### Global context

#### Spin, tilt, bringing focus to regions of interest

## Scientific review

### In development and research

### Post-production

### Scientist has to provide readable content

## Sharing 

### Interpretation

### Assets 

## Custom Software 

### SVS s/w for projecting and moving data so that it appears correct on sphere

### NASA s/w distribution policy?

### Flexify (Flaming Pear): autowarps cylindrical maps to sphere frame by frame for any texture

# Issues we did not get to, that will be addressed in afternoon

## Story

### Primary sources

#### Data products

#### model output

#### Time

##### Near-real-time

##### Climatologies

## Formulate questions

### Earth Today

### Use scientific expertise where possible to articulate important issues in real-time data