Science On a Sphere is a spherical projection system created by NOAA. It presents high-resolution video on suspended globe rather than a flat screen, with the aim of better representing global phenomena. Animated images of atmospheric storms, climate change, and ocean temperature can be shown on the sphere to explain these complex environmental processes. SOS systems are most frequently installed in science museums, universities, and research institutions, although new and novel uses for these systems in a variety of presentation spaces and contexts are starting to emerge.

The system is installed in 70 locations worldwide.

Configuration

SOS uses many off-the-shelf hardware and software components combined into an innovative format. A spherical screen covered in ordinary latex paint hangs suspended in the center of a projection space. The screen is inert; it neither moves nor has any electronic parts. Surrounding the screen are four video projectors, positioned at ninety degree increments around the screen. Each projector is responsible for one quadrant of screen space. One CPU with three graphics cards (two for the projector output and one for the user interface) is used to control the system. The custom written SOS software runs on Linux

Linux

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

.

SOS was invented by Dr. Alexander E. MacDonald, the director of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, CO and OAR Deputy Assistant Administrator for the NOAA Research Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes. Dr. MacDonald devised the original idea for Science On a Sphere in 1995 as part of other data visualization work he oversaw in what was the former NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory. A small but highly motivated and inventive team of NOAA staff led by chief designer David Himes wrote the SOS software and developed the SOS hardware and system architecture. This work enabled Dr. MacDonald's invention to move out from the laboratory and into performance spaces. A patent was awarded to NOAA for Science On a Sphere in August 2005, with Dr. MacDonald credited as the inventor. General system architecture and configuration specifications are as follows. http://sos.noaa.gov/images/SOSFloorplan.pdf

The sphere

The sphere size is 68" in diameter. Other sphere sizes are possible, but would require custom engineering (at additional cost to the SOS recipient). The 68" sphere is with a single seam at the equator weighs in at under 50 pounds. The sphere is attached to the ceiling or suspension structure via a three-point suspension system. The cables are rated to hold many times the weight of the sphere. The three-point suspension system is used to hold the sphere in place and reduce lateral movement. If the sphere moves, then the images become un-focused. The cables are designed for strength yet small enough to blend into the background.

The projectors

The system requires high quality, bright, long duty cycle projectors generally permanently installed in board rooms and high end home theaters rather than smaller portable and consumer models to endure the requirements of 8–10 hours per day, 7 days per week of most public displays. System designers also recommend a minimum of 3500 lumen

Lumen (unit)

The lumen is the SI derived unit of luminous flux, a measure of the total "amount" of visible light emitted by a source. Luminous flux differs from power in that luminous flux measurements reflect the varying sensitivity of the human eye to different wavelengths of light, while radiant flux...

s. The projectors used in the NC Aquarium installation use 4 Sony VPL-FE40 projectors rated at 4000 ANSI lumens costing over $4000 each.

The computer hardware

The computer hardware used for SOS is constantly evolving based on what is available on the market. The newest configuration uses one Ubuntu linux computer with NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, and a Wii Remote to control the Science On a Sphere. Previous versions used five Red Hat Linux computers.

SOS data details

The majority of SOS assets are so-called "datasets". Originally conceived as a video system for showing space based collections of Earth data, SOS has grown in its utility. The majority of data that traditionally appears on the SOS screens concerns the Earth, either from near-real-time data acquisition systems, or from processed remote sensing platforms. But recent interest and growth in different kinds of media have started to broaden that library. There are currently over 250 datasets that can be shown on the sphere, including real-time infrared satellite images, Mars, real-time Earthquakes, an ocean acidification model, and many more. The entire catalog can be found online here: http://sos.noaa.gov/datasets/.

The data format for SOS datasets is the equidistant cylindrical equatorial projection, also referred to as equirectangular projection

Equirectangular projection

The equirectangular projection is a very simple map projection attributed to Marinus of Tyre, who Ptolemy claims invented the projection about AD 100...

, as shown by the map to the right. Textures, or single images, such as Mars or the Moon, are jpeg or png files that have a minimum resolution of 2048x1024 and a preferred resolution of 4096x2048. Animations, such as a 24 hour air traffic loop or real-time weather over the course of a week, are mp4 files that have a preferred resolution of 2048x1024.

All of the datasets for Science On a Sphere are available online in the SOS Dataset Catalog. The datasets are divided into six main categories: Land, Ocean, Atmosphere, Astronomy, Models and Simulations, and Extras. The Extras category contains all the narrated movies highlighted below. The datasets come from many different organizations, including NOAA, NASA, NREL, universities, and science museums. Many of the sites that have SOS are creating new custom content for their site.

SOS User's Collaborative Network

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA supports the use of spherical display systems, such as SOS, in public exhibits as part of a focused effort to increase environmental literacy. The institutions that currently have NOAA's Science On a Sphere, as well as other partners who are creating content and educational programming for these systems, have formed a collaborative network . The SOS Users Collaborative Network is supported by NOAA’s Office of Education (OEd) and the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) to provide a mechanism for these institutions to work together to maximize the effectiveness of the SOS system as an Earth system science education platform.

Network meetings and workshops

NOAA’s Office of Education (OEd) hosts workshops of the SOS Users Collaborative Network in order to allow Network to inform NOAA on investment and development decisions related to the SOS system and to provide a mechanism for member institutions to work together to maximize the effectiveness of SOS as an Earth system science education platform. These workshops, which are typically 2.5 days in duration, provide a valuable opportunity for members of the Network to meet in person to focus on key issues. Past meetings have included:

• January 22–24, 2007, Network Workshop held at Maryland Science Center, Baltimore,MD
• October 14, 2007, Network Meeting held at the Association of Science-Technology Centers
  Association of Science-Technology Centers
  The Association of Science-Technology Centers is an international organization of science centers and science museums. Members are located in more than 40 countries...
  
   conference in Los Angeles, CA
• July 29–31, 2008, Network Workshop held at Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI and Imiloa Astronomy Center, Hilo, HI
• October 20, 2008, Network Meeting held at the Association of Science-Technology Centers
  Association of Science-Technology Centers
  The Association of Science-Technology Centers is an international organization of science centers and science museums. Members are located in more than 40 countries...
  
   conference in Philadelphia, PA
• November 17–19, 2009, Network Workshop held at NOAA Earth System Research Land and Fiske Planetarium
• May 3–5, 2011, Network Workshop held at the Museum of Science and Industry
  Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)
  The Museum of Science and Industry is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA in Jackson Park, in the Hyde Park neighborhood adjacent to Lake Michigan. It is housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
  
   in Chicago, IL

SOS evaluation

The User's Collaborative Network is currently involved in a program-wide evaulation of the effectiveness of exhibits featuring spherical display systems. Many of the SOS sites have conducted their own evaluation reports as well to better understand the educational impacts of Science On a Sphere.

Locations

Science On a Sphere is installed in science museums, zoos and aquariums, and visitors centers around the world. New sites are continually being added:

Site	Location	Date
NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory Earth System Research Laboratory The Earth System Research Laboratory is a laboratory in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration /Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research ....	Boulder, CO
Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame	Seattle, WA	May, 2004
Nauticus - The National Maritime Center	Norfolk, VA	May, 2005
Science Museum of Minnesota Science Museum of Minnesota The Science Museum of Minnesota is an American museum focused on topics in technology, natural history, physical science and mathematics education. Founded in 1907 and located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the 501 nonprofit institution is staffed by over 500 employees and over 1,600 volunteers...	St. Paul, MN	Jan, 2006
Bernice P. Bishop Museum	Honolulu, HI	Feb, 2006
The Tech Museum of Innovation The Tech Museum of Innovation The Tech Museum of Innovation, or simply The Tech, is a museum located in the heart of Silicon Valley, in downtown San Jose, California USA.-History:...	San Jose, CA	Mar, 2006
Maryland Science Center Maryland Science Center The Maryland Science Center, located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, opened to the public in 1976. It includes three levels of exhibits, a planetarium, and an observatory. It was one of the original structures that drove the revitalization of the Baltimore Inner Harbor from its industrial roots to a...	Baltimore, MD	Apr, 2006
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...  Visitors Center	Greenbelt, MD	Apr, 2006
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary on Thunder Bay, part of Lake Huron, within the U.S. state of Michigan. The sanctuary and underwater preserve protects an estimated 116 historically significant shipwrecks ranging from nineteenth...	Alpena, MI	Jun, 2006
Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii	Hilo, HI	Nov, 2006
James Madison University James Madison University James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...	Harrisonburg, VA	Nov, 2006
McWane Science Center McWane Science Center The McWane Science Center is a science museum and research archive located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama . The state-of-the-art science center, aquarium and 280-seat IMAX Dome Theater is housed in the historic and refurbished Loveman's department store building...	Birmingham, AL	Feb, 2007
Fiske Planetarium and Science Center at the University of Colorado	Boulder, CO	Mar, 2007
Orlando Science Center Orlando Science Center The Orlando Science Center is a private not-for-profit corporation, organized under the laws of the State of Florida, USA, and located in Orlando...	Orlando, Florida	May, 2007
Museum of Science and Industry Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) The Museum of Science and Industry is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA in Jackson Park, in the Hyde Park neighborhood adjacent to Lake Michigan. It is housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...	Chicago, IL	Jun, 2007
NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory National Severe Storms Laboratory The National Severe Storms Laboratory is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather research laboratory located at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma....	Norman, OK	Aug, 2007
Ocean Explorium	New Bedford, MA	Dec, 2007
Clark Planetarium Clark Planetarium The Clark Planetarium is situated within the Gateway District at the intersection of 400 West and 100 South in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...	Salt Lake City, UT	Mar, 2008
Lawrence Hall of Science Lawrence Hall of Science The Lawrence Hall of Science is a public science center featuring hands-on exhibits and activities. Located in the hills above the University of California, Berkeley campus, LHS is also a resource center for preschool through high school science and mathematics education.Established in 1968 in...	Berkeley, CA	Apr, 2008
National Museum of Natural Science National Museum of Natural Science The National Museum of Natural Science is a national museum in Taichung, Taiwan.-Overview:The museum covers and is a six-venue complex housing: the Space IMAX Theater, Science Center, Life Science Hall, Human Cultures Hall, Global Environment Hall, and Botanical Garden.The Research and Collection...	Taichung Taichung -Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly.... , Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... , R.O.C.	May, 2008
Gwacheon National Science Museum	Gwacheon, Republic of Korea	Jun, 2008
National Renewable Energy Laboratory National Renewable Energy Laboratory The National Renewable Energy Laboratory , located in Golden, Colorado, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility; it is funded through...	Golden, CO	Jul, 2008
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....	Washington, D.C.	Jul, 2008
International Museum of Art & Science International Museum of Art & Science The International Museum of Art & Science is a museum located in Mcallen, Texas. It is dedicated to exhibiting Latin American art, as well as educating visitors about science. Its exhibits include antique stained glass, images from the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Discovery Pavilion, an...	McAllen, TX	Aug, 2008
Microsoft Visitor Center	Redmond, WA	Aug, 2008
Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute	Juneau, AK	Sep, 2008
Wallops Visitor Center NASA Visitor Center (Wallops Flight Facility) The NASA Visitor Center is located in Building J-17, Wallops Island, Virginia, United States along Route 175. It contains exhibits highlighting past missions conducted at Wallops Flight Facility. The visitor center also provides information about current activities at Wallops Flight Facility,...	Wallops Island, VA	Nov, 2008
National Museum of Surveying National Museum of Surveying The National Museum of Surveying was the Michigan Museum of Surveying, but in 2007, the museum moved to Springfield, Illinois to become a national museum. The museum officially opened in Springfield, Illinois on September 24, 2010. In the space, the museum houses many exhibits on surveying, a room...	Springfield, IL	Nov, 2008
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery Boonshoft Museum of Discovery The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is a children's museum in Dayton, Ohio, United States that focuses on science. Exhibits include an extensive natural history collection as well as maintaining a collection of live animals native to Ohio. Educational outreach extends to the community by providing...	Dayton, OH	Dec, 2008
Climate Institute	Puebla, Mexico	Dec, 2008
Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The center is the first complex of its kind in the United States to use science as an entry to the arts. Whitaker Center exhibits science, the performing arts, and an IMAX theater under one roof...	Harrisburg, PA	Jan, 2009
North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island	Manteo, NC	Feb, 2009
National Zoo	Washington, D.C.	Feb, 2009
Alaska State Museum	Juneau, AK	Mar, 2009
Stennis Space Center	MS	Mar, 2009
The Wildlife Experience The Wildlife Experience The Wildlife Experience is a wildlife conservation museum featuring natural history, fine art and film located in Parker, Colorado, about south of Denver. The museum houses an extensive collection of natural history exhibits, paintings and sculpture, photography and large-format films...	Parker, CO	Apr, 2009
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is the biggest science museum in Europe. Located in Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is at the heart of the Cultural Center of Science, Technology and Industry , a center promoting science and science culture.About five million people visit the Cité...	Paris, France	Jun, 2009
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Oregon Museum of Science and Industry The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a museum located in Portland, Oregon, United States. It contains two auditoriums, including an IMAX Dome theatre, and a variety of hands-on permanent exhibits focused on natural sciences, industry, and technology...	Portland, OR	Jul, 2009
Heureka Heureka Heureka is a science center in Vantaa, Finland, north of Helsinki. Its purpose is to facilitate the access to scientific knowledge and to develop the methods of scientific education. Its exhibits are largely hands-on and many of them are made for children... , The Finnish Science Centere	Vantaa, Finland	Aug, 2009
Houston Museum of Natural Science Houston Museum of Natural Science The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a science museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, USA. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Society, an organization whose goals were to provide a free institution for the people of Houston...	Sugarland, Texas	Sep, 2009
Discovery Science Center Discovery Science Center The Discovery Science Center, formerly known as the Taco Bell Discovery Science Center, is a science museum in Santa Ana, California, with more than 100 hands-on science exhibits designed to spark children's natural curiosity...	Santa Ana, CA	Oct, 2009
Challenger Learning Center	Atwater, CA	Jan, 2010
Natural History Museum	Mexico City, Mexico	Jan, 2010
Astronaut Hall of Fame Astronaut Hall of Fame The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, located just south of Titusville, Florida, honors American astronauts and features the world's largest collection of their personal memorabilia, focusing on those astronauts who have been inducted into the Hall; as well as Sigma 7, the fifth manned Mercury...	Titusville, FL	Jan, 2010
China Beijiko Meteorological Museum	Nanjing, PRC	Jan, 2010
Cité de l'espace Cité de l'espace The Cité de l'espace is a theme park oriented towards space and the conquest of space. It was inaugurated in June 1997 and is situated on the eastern outskirts of Toulouse in France...	Toulouse, France	Feb, 2010
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Denver Museum of Nature and Science The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the natural history of...	Denver, CO	Feb, 2010
Point Reyes National Seashore Point Reyes National Seashore Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as a nationally important nature preserve within which existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue...	Point Reyes, CA	April, 2010
Central Weather Bureau Central Weather Bureau The Central Weather Bureau is the government meteorological research and forecasting institution of the Republic of China . In addition to meteorology, the Central Weather Bureau also makes astronomical observations, reports on sea conditions, and conducts research into seismology and provides...	Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.	May, 2010
Bay Education Center	Rockport, TX	June, 2010
Climate Institute	Cuernavaca, Mexico	July, 2010
Pacific Science Center Pacific Science Center The Pacific Science Center is a science museum in Seattle, Washington.-Organization:Pacific Science Center is an independent, non-profit science museum based in Seattle, Washington...	Seattle, WA	Sept, 2010
Danville Science Center	Danville, VA	Oct, 2010
London Science Museum	London, England	Nov, 2010
Climate Institute	Chilpancingo, Mexico	Dec, 2010
Climate Institute	Atlacomulco, Mexico	Dec, 2010
Climate Institute	Metepec, Mexico	Dec, 2010
Climate Institute, Casa de la Tierra	Veracruz, Mexico	Dec, 2010
Climate Institute, Planetario de Morelia	Morelia, Mexico	Dec, 2010
Science Museum of Virginia Science Museum of Virginia The Science Museum of Virginia is a science museum located in Richmond, Virginia.-History:In 1906, the Virginia General Assembly approved funds for the construction of a simple "exhibits center" to display mineral and timber exhibits being assembled for the Jamestown Exposition of 1907. After the...	Richmond, VA	Jan, 2011
Climate Institute	Acapulco, Mexico	Feb, 2011
Aquarium of the Pacific Aquarium of the Pacific -External links:*...	Long Beach, CA	Mar, 2011
Detroit Zoo Detroit Zoo The Detroit Zoological Park, commonly known as the Detroit Zoo, is located about north of the Detroit city limits at the intersection of Woodward Avenue, 10 Mile Road, and Interstate 696 in Royal Oak and Huntington Woods, Michigan, USA...	Royal Oak, MI	Apr, 2011
Beijing Huaxinchuanzi Technology Co., Ltd.	Beijing, PRC	Apr, 2011
KIGAM Geological Museum	Daejeon, Republic of Korea	Apr, 2011
Our Planet Centre	Castries, St. Lucia	Apr, 2011
Nurture Nature Center	Easton, PA	May, 2011
Climate Factory	Holeby, Denmark	May, 2011
Climate Institute	Texcoco, Mexico	May, 2011
Climate Institute	Valle de Bravo, Mexico	May, 2011
Climate Institute	Villahermosa, Mexico	May, 2011
Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History	Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	Aug, 2011
Aldo Leopold Nature Center	Monona, WI	Aug, 2011

Films

In the Fall of 2005 the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ordered what would become the eighth SOS to be permanently installed. Michael Starobin, Goddard's senior media producer at the time, began the process of developing a presentation that would showcase NASA data. Through the autumn of 2005 and into the winter of 2006, Starobin worked on collecting source material to craft this presentation. Faced with the challenge of producing a seamless product akin to traditional video programs, Starobin came up with the idea for presenting video content from source material that did NOT originate as inherently spherical data. The goal would be to blend one edge of a video or still photographic frame with the opposite edge in order to create a fully spherical image. In the beginning of 2006, a small but powerful team of NASA Goddard staff joined the project, including data visualizers from the Scientific Visualization Studio and master editor and digital artist Victoria Weeks. On May 4, 2006 the team unveiled Footprints, the world's first fully realized spherical film. The project demonstrated a number of dramatic new techniques for visual conceptualization, including the idea of a seamless visual wrap.

Since the release of Footprints, several other movies have been made or are currently in production for SOS, including:

• Blue Planet Produced by the Science Museum of Minnesota and the American Museum of Natural History, this project examines the role of water in a variety of Earth processes.
• Cooking Up a Storm Produced by Rockwell Schrock, NOAA Hollings Scholar for the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory as a summer project.
• Coral Science from Outer Space to Inner Space Produced by NOAA as part of the International Year of the Reef 2008
• Energy Planet This short film, commissioned by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is believed to be the first SOS project produced by a fully private production company.
• Energy Revolution NREL commissioned a sequel to Energy Planet, with a focus on five core technologies that can have significant positive influence on the nation's growing energy needs. It debuted at the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
• Frozen Working with the most advanced satellite data available from NASA, FROZEN showcases those places on Earth where temperatures don’t generally rise above water’s freezing point.
• Largest Jupiter is not only the most massive planet in the solar system, but it may be one of the most influential as well. in LARGEST, NASA takes a close look at Jupiter, and considers its scientific and poetic place in the solar system.
• Return to the Moon To commemorate the 40th anniversary of first Moon landing and to celebrate NASA's newest vehicle to visit the moon—the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter—the Space Agency commissioned this short film.
• Tsunami NOAA, in partnership with the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP), produced "Tsunami", a new Science On a Sphere (SOS) presentation to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
• Flow: Currents and Climate Produced by the Science Museum of Minnesota, this piece looks at the role of oceans in the global climate.
• Forecast:Tropical Cyclone Produced by the American Museum of Natural History, this datasets provides an overview of the history of forecasting tropical cyclones and insights into the future of forecasting.
• "Loop" Everything in the universe seeks equilibrium. But equilibrium is elusive, with destabilizing forces always knocking things off kilter. In this NASA movie, data visualizations and dramatic imagery of the natural world present a science story about equilibrium in an inventive, conceptual way, and illustrate the propulsive essence of circulation in it's many forms.