DISCOVERFRAMEWORK: A FREEWARE TOOLKIT FOR SPATIO-TEMPORAL ENVIRONMENTAL DATA VISUALIZATION AND DIGITAL STORYTELLING

The DiscoverFramework is a web-based visualization tool built on freeware. The design enables the visual representation of data to aid scientific and societal understanding of Earth systems. Scientists and stakeholders are informed through synchronized time-series data plots that correlate multiple spatial-temporal data sets, an interactive time-evolving map that provides spatial context, and domain-knowledge supported trend analysis. Aligning data in this manner has the capacity for interdisciplinary knowledge discovery and motivates dialogue about system processes. The DiscoverFramework has been demonstrated using two field cases. First, DiscoverWater visualizes data sets from the High Plains aquifer, where reservoir- and groundwater-supported irrigation has affected the Arkansas River in western Kansas. Second, DiscoverHABs combines data and model results from Cheney Reservoir outside of Wichita, Kansas and reveals environmental and biogeochemical patterns in the formation of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Use cases are flexible with the goal of making it easier for scientists and stakeholders to gain and share knowledge. The DiscoverFramework is a powerful tool that can be applied to many Earth resource scenarios and tell Earth’s story through data.