Seeing Earth

Science Centre Singapore

Seeing Earth is an interactive 6K video hardware and software system I designed and programmed using Python and JavaScript. Over ten 6K interactive videos are created from raw satellite data and update nightly. Data sets include surface temperature, wind, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, air quality (PM2.5), carbon dioxide, global and sea temperature changes, and a view of the Earth from the Himawari satellite.

I created Seeing Earth as part of the Earth Alive! exhibition created for Science Centre Singapore by the Exploratorium.

Prototype

Exploratorium Shop

Large map of the world with surface land and sea temperatures mapped in color

Still frame from video: land and sea surface temperatures

Large map of the world with the amount of carbon dioxide emissions mapped in color

Still frame from video: carbon dioxide emissions

A touch screen console in front of a very large display screen showing a map of the earth with earthquakes and their magnitude indicated

Earthquakes video

Large map of the world with the amount of air pollution (particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less)

Still frame from video: PM 2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in the air)

Large map of the world with the wind currents mapped in color

Still frame from video: wind currents

View of the exhibit: the 6K display is in the background, with a semi-circle of furniture surrounding it. The semi-circle of furniture consists of the visitor kiosk in the center, with three orange stools on each side.

Exhibit configuration

Animated slideshow of two children operating a touch screen console, laughing and pointing off screen

"There has never been a more important time to understand how the Earth works and how its changes directly influence our lives. We need to understand how it works and if we are armed with this information, we can be more sustainable, stop climate change, and have a happy future. This is the key about this exhibit: to enable education."

— Professor Benjamin Horton
    Director, Earth Observatory of Singapore
    IPCC author & editor, exhibition advisor

Credits

Seeing Earth is part of the Earth Alive! exhibition at Science Centre Singapore. The exhibition was created by the Exploratorium for Science Centre Singapore and Earth Observatory of Singapore, and delivered in 2020.

The title, Seeing Earth, is by Eileen Campbell. Physical steel and wood touch–screen kiosk by Adam Proust, Colin Wang, and Anders Cole of the Exploratorium. Special thanks to Eyal Shahar of the Exploratorium for overseeing the remote installation.

Satellite data for Seeing Earth courtesy of NASA, NOAA, the Smithsonian Volcanism Project, USGS, and the Japan Meteorological Agency.

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