NASA Launches 'Eyes on the Earth 3-D'

(PhysOrg.com) -- New interactive features on NASA's Global Climate Change Web site give the public the opportunity to "fly along" with NASA's fleet of Earth science missions and observe Earth from a global perspective in an immersive, 3-D environment.

Developed using a state-of-the-art, browser-based visualization technology, "Eyes on the Earth 3-D" displays the location of all of NASA's 15 currently operating Earth-observing missions in real time. These missions constantly monitor our planet's vital signs, such as sea level height, concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, global temperatures and extent of sea ice in the Arctic, to name a few.

The new "Eyes on the Earth 3-D" features are online at: climate.jpl.nasa.gov .

Visitors to "Eyes on the Earth 3-D" can: - Ride along with a spacecraft, observing Earth as it sweeps below in accelerated time. - View authentic data maps of ozone, sea level or carbon dioxide distribution, mapped onto the surface of the globe. - Compare the size of each satellite to a car or a scientist. - Blast through a global carbon dioxide map to uncover some of the world's most populous cities in the new interactive game, "Metropolis."

"This innovative new Web application gives the public an unprecedented perspective on our changing planet, as only NASA can," said Michael Greene, manager for public engagement strategy at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

NASA's Global Climate Change Web site is devoted to educating the public about Earth's changing climate, providing easy-to-understand information about the causes and effects of climate change and how NASA studies it.