SIMPLE EXPLORATIONS OF COMPLEX DATA: THE IMAGE COMPOSITE EDITOR

One goal of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is to make remote sensing data available to a broad range of users. The Image Composite Editor (ICE) (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/ICE/ice_intro.html) provides a simple web-based interface for students and other non-expert users to compare and contrast multiple datasets. ICE enables simple mathematical analysis, animation, band compositing, data querying, and graphing with up to three datasets. ICE is capable of utilizing both image data (radiances) and derived data (geophysical parameters). ICE is designed for ease-of-use, rather than comprehensive data analysis features.

Current lessons include comparisons of biological and physical properties of the ocean surrounding the Channel Islands, El Niño, forest fires, seasonal change, and interannual variability. Each example uses remote sensing data to illustrate natural processes and the relationships between different geophysical parameters (for example, the influence of sea surface temperature on biological productivity in the ocean).

ICE relies on 8-bit raster images (such as GIFs) and html so additional datasets can be easily added.