VISUALIZATION

Computer animation software is not just for making movies anymore -- scientists and visualization experts are taking tips from the big screen to bring science to the public. At the meeting of the American Geophysical Union, NASA unveiled the world premiere of its new seven-minute movie, "A Tour of the Cryosphere." The Earth's cryosphere (from a Greek word, kryos, which means "cold") includes all the the sea and freshwaterice, snow, glaciers, frozen ground and permafrost. Scientists at NASA, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) combined their scientific data, then applied state-of-the-art computer animation software to visualize the science. Michael Starobin, senior producer at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center's Science Visualization Studio in Greenbelt, Md., explained that merging all of this data into a movie that appears to be done in one single shot was no easy feat. "We used computer-animation software like Maya and plug-ins like RenderMan, which are the same programs that Pixar animation studios used in the making of The Incredibles and Finding Nemo movies, but we stretched the software to its limit," says Starobin. As a result, viewers are treated to a fact-filled and visually stunning tour of Antarctica and the Arctic in a few short minutes. But, the tour takes an occasional step in closer. Viewers not only see a broad view of the retreating ice caps, but they also get the chance to lean in and watch scientific data come to life as they watch Antarctica's Larsen B ice shelf collapse. Waleed Abdalati, a geographer and head of NASA's Cryospheric Sciences Branch in Washington, D.C., says that everyone can watch the tour and learn something new. "By translating real data -- all the bits and bites -- into compelling visuals, we can understand the planet in new ways," says Abdalati. Although scientists are learning new things all the time about the cryosphere, this tour gives anyone who watches it a comprehensive look at what scientists have learned, while making it as fun and exciting as your favorite movies. Best viewing of the movie requires a high-speed connection.