It also invites the viewer to speculate about why the water changes temperature as it does and what causes the Gulf Stream to flow. The display of sea surface temperatures shows the contours of the Gulf Stream. This technique makes it easier to visualize data in three-dimensions as well as stimulate interest in the subject. Visualizing change over time Some important phenomena change not only over the three dimensions of space, but also over the fourth dimension of time. Visual Earth employs animations to facilitate the study of time-based change.
Students are able to view earth processes as a movie or as still images that can be compared.
Frames from a movie showing the movement of tectonic plates. Guided discoveries and open-ended investigation Visual Earth titles are linked to curriculum. Like a nature trail laid out through a rich and diverse natural area, a guided discovery provides a carefully planned introduction to the major features of a domain. Clicking on each frame in turn makes available a new set of multimedia resources an image, map overlays, a movie, or an animation. Accompanying each frame is instructional text.