On the one hand, locating the right dataset, then figuring out how to use it, is a daunting task that is familiar to almost any scientist or graduate student in the fields of Earth system science. On the other hand, the ability to explore authentic Earth system science data, through inquiry-based education, is an important goal in US national education standards. Fortunately, in the digital age, tools are emerging that can make such data exploration commonplace at all educational levels. This paper describes the conception and development of one project that aims to bridge this gap: Mentoring and inquiry using NASA Data on Atmospheric and Earth science for Teachers and Amateurs (MY NASA DATA; mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov). With funding from NASA's Science Mission Directorate, this project was launched in early 2004 with the aim of developing microsets and identifying other enablers for making data accessible. A key feature of the project is a Live Access Server, the first educational implementation of this open source software, developed by NOAA, that makes it possible to explore multiple data formats through a single interface. This powerful tool is made more useful to the primary target audiences (K-12 and amateur scientists) through careful selection of the data offered, user-friendly explanations of the tool itself, and age-appropriate explanations of the parameters. However experience already shows that graduate students and even practicing scientists can also make use of this resource. The website also hosts teacher-contributed lesson plans, and seeks to feature reports of research projects that use the data

Alston, Erica J.

Chambers, Lin H.

Diones, D. D.

Mims, Forrest M., III

Moore, S. W.

Oots, P. C.

Phelps, C. S.

NASA Technical Reports Server

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The MY NASA DATA Project 
 
Lin H. Chambers, Erica J. Alston 
NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA  23681-2199 
D. D. Diones, S. W. Moore, P. C. Oots, C. S. Phelps 
Science Applications International Corporation, Hampton, VA 
Forrest M. Mims, III 
Geronimo Creek Observatory, Seguin, TX 
 
An article submitted to 
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 
October 2006. 
 
 
 
Corresponding author: 
Lin H. Chambers 
Climate Science Branch 
MS 420 
NASA Langley Research Center 
Hampton, VA  23681-2199 
e-mail:  l.h.chambers@larc.nasa.gov 
 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20080024191 2019-08-30T04:39:59+00:00Z
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ABSTRACT 
On the one hand, locating the right dataset, then figuring out how to use it, is a daunting task 
that is familiar to almost any scientist or graduate student in the fields of Earth system science.  
On the other hand, the ability to explore authentic Earth system science data, through inquiry-
based education, is an important goal in US national education standards.  Fortunately, in the 
digital age, tools are emerging that can make such data exploration commonplace at all 
educational levels. 
This paper describes the conception and development of one project that aims to bridge this 
gap:  Mentoring and inquirY using NASA Data on Atmospheric and Earth science for Teachers 
and Amateurs (MY NASA DATA; mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov).  With funding from NASA’s 
Science Mission Directorate, this project was launched in early 2004 with the aim of developing 
‘microsets’ and identifying other enablers for making data accessible.  A key feature of the 
project is a Live Access Server, the first educational implementation of this open source 
software, developed by NOAA, that makes it possible to explore multiple data formats through a 
single interface.  This powerful tool is made more useful to the primary target audiences (K-12 
and amateur scientists) through careful selection of the data offered, user-friendly explanations 
of the tool itself, and age-appropriate explanations of the parameters. However experience 
already shows that graduate students and even practicing scientists can also make use of this 
resource.  The website also hosts teacher-contributed lesson plans, and seeks to feature reports of 
research projects that use the data. 
 
 
 
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The Challenge 
As any scientist or graduate student knows, finding and then using the right dataset to 
address a question of interest can be an extremely difficult and time-consuming effort.  
Educational standards in the US currently encourage scientific inquiry for students at the K-12 
level.  While some students working with special teachers have done such projects, expecting all 
high school or middle school students to persevere through the current challenges of locating and 
deciphering data in order to pursue a question is not realistic.  Fortunately, emerging information 
technologies and open source standards can make this problem more tractable.  This paper 
describes one NASA project whose goal is to make the vast NASA collection of Earth system 
science data, acquired thanks to investment of taxpayer funds, accessible to the K-12 and citizen 
scientist communities. 
Solution 1:  Microsets, Static and Custom 
The initial technical approach to solving this challenge was the creation of what we term 
‘microsets’.  These are especially small subsets of the typical large scientific dataset.  They 
consist of a single parameter over the globe, or perhaps a time series for a single location (or 
two).  The goal is to get to a file size that is easy to transfer, even for a school with very basic 
computer access.  This small size also enables the use of very simple file formats, such as ASCII 
(text) so that educators and students don’t have to buy custom software or learn to use custom 
tools.  Very simple static microsets (Figure 1) can provide powerful opportunities for learning 
about the Earth. 
Of course, offering a limited number of static microsets is not an effective way to enable 
scientific inquiry.  Thus, a second piece of the solution was to make available a larger amount of 
data that students could explore to create custom microsets that relate to a particular question of 
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interest to them.  The team explored a number of emerging options before settling on the Live 
Access Server (LAS), an open source software tool originally developed by NOAA 
(http://ferret.wrc.noaa.gov/Ferret/LAS/).  LAS integrates a visualization tool, Ferret, with tools 
that provide access to geo-referenced data.  Incorporating OPeNDAP allows the LAS to make 
available datasets that may not reside locally, and that may be in a variety of different scientific 
formats (such as NetCDF, HDF, and others).  It provides a single web interface for the 
exploration of all these data.  It also has the capability to output the selected data in a variety of 
formats, including imagery for visualization and ASCII and other output formats for further 
analysis.  See Figure 2 for a composite of screenshots from the LAS. 
The MY NASA DATA LAS currently makes available over 100 parameters, most related to 
atmospheric science (because we are housed at the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC)).  
Datasets on precipitation and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from NOAA, and ocean data from 
JPL, are some of the other datasets that the team currently offers or is exploring.  This collection 
of data offers a good starting point for student inquiry in Earth system science.  We continue to 
seek other datasets that may be appropriate for this interface. 
Solution 2:  User-friendly documentation 
Once the LAS was in place, it quickly became apparent to the MY NASA DATA team that 
this technical solution alone was not sufficient to meet the needs of our target audiences, 
especially the K-12 portion.  Although the LAS offers a relatively simple means of data 
exploration, particularly compared to other options, it still is not simple enough.  Thus, the team 
has developed some customized documentation targeted to the needs of educators and students.  
In approximate order of development these include: 
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1.  Science glossary:  To provide age-appropriate definitions of parameters and related 
terminology that is specifically aligned to the content and methods of the MY NASA DATA site.  
Many of the definitions include illustrations and links to additional information.  Development of 
this glossary is ongoing as new terms and parameters are identified or added to the LAS. 
2.  LAS custom help:  Because LAS is open source software, the team was able to 
customize some of its help features.  In particular, we are able to provide information specific to 
MY NASA DATA within the information that is accessed through the  icon of the LAS 
interface.  In this way we can steer the audience to information that is particularly relevant to the 
parameters they are exploring. 
3.  LAS Introduction:  This brief explanation uses the analogy of a menu and waiter in a 
restaurant to provide a helpful introduction to the LAS.  It serves as an example to give teachers 
and students the “big picture” of this tool so they will be more comfortable exploring it.  As part 
of the development of this document, the parameters in the LAS were renamed so that they all 
follow a common naming scheme.  This scheme consistently provides information about Time 
Interval (Daily, Weekly, Monthly...), Place (Surface, Top of Atmosphere, Cloud, Tropopause, 
...), Parameter, and the source of the data.  Thus, users browsing the LAS can become familiar 
with the way that parameters are labeled and know what they are getting. 
4.  Time Coverage at a Glance:  Because we obtain our parameters from different satellites 
and instruments, the available time coverage can vary from one to the next.  If a teacher or 
student is interested in a question that involves multiple parameters, this chart provides the time 
period that can be usefully explored.  This helps to prevent user frustration in spending time 
developing information about one parameter only to discover another needed parameter is not 
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available for the same timeframe.  It also provides the audience some insight into the effort 
required to acquire thedata. 
5.  Discipline specific documentation:  A number of LAS parameters cover the Earth’s 
Radiation Budget, a focus area for the ASDC (and the first author).  While this topic is included 
in the K-12 curriculum, the details of its many parameters are not.  Thus a brief explanation was 
put together in an attempt to contextualize and explain the many parameters that can be explored 
in the LAS.  For the topic of Aerosols, a link has been provided to a well-written NASA Fact 
Sheet.  Similar documentation is being developed for other topic areas relating to parameters in 
the LAS. 
6.  LAS Tutorial:  A Powerpoint tutorial that takes users step by step through the screens of 
the LAS has also been developed for those who are least comfortable with technology.  This 
tutorial provides an explanatory look at the various steps in the process of generating a custom 
graph or microset. 
7.  Information about Data Sources:  Teachers often want to know the source of the data, 
and to share that information with their students.  Thus, we have added a web page that gives a 
complete summary of the sources of data in the LAS, including satellites, instruments, and 
analysis products.  In a short paragraph, the basics of each source are given, along with links to 
further information and definitions of terms.  A picture or illustration also provides further 
insight into the data source. 
The documentation process is not complete.  Our next step is to develop sample images 
illustrating the parameters available from each data source, so that a quick data exploration can 
occur even outside the framework of the LAS. 
 
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Solution 3:  Targeted Resources 
In addition to microsets and documentation, MY NASA DATA provides resources that we 
hope are directly useable by our target audiences.  For teachers, this means providing example 
lesson plans that illustrate how some specific microsets can be used to teach standards-aligned 
topics.  The MY NASA DATA site features a growing collection of lesson plans, both those 
developed by the team, and lessons contributed by teachers who use the site.  These lessons are 
also submitted to the semi-annual NASA education review to further improve their quality. 
For the citizen science community, which we define broadly to include K-12 students who 
are doing a science project as well as amateur scientists of all ages, we provide a growing list of  
project ideas that may give them some ideas for possible exploration using MY NASA DATA 
parameters.  
Neither of these are intended to provide a complete picture of what is possible using MY 
NASA DATA.  They are merely introductory examples to inspire educators and citizen scientists 
to develop their own inquiry questions using the resources that are being made available. 
Solution 4:  Community interaction 
To ensure success, based on lessons learned by some MY NASA DATA team members 
through the S’COOL Project (Chambers et al., 2003), community interaction occurs in the MY 
NASA DATA Project at a variety of levels. 
1.  Intraproject:  The MY NASA DATA team includes a diverse set of individuals:  
scientists, mathematicians, computer scientists, administrative personnel, an educator, and a 
consulting citizen scientist (all but one of which devote only part-time effort to the project).  The 
team also includes diversity in terms of age and experience, so that we can represent a variety of 
points of view within the team.  (Figure 3) 
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2.  Teacher workshops:  Workshops, which provide direct contact with educators from a 
variety of backgrounds, skill levels and comfort with technology, have been a very important 
source of feedback for the continued development of the project.  The team has experimented 
with several workshop models, including intensive on-site workshops drawing a national 
crosssection of educators, targeted local professional development workshops, and short courses 
at regional and national educator conferences.  Many of the documentation pieces described in 
Solution 2 are an outgrowth of intensive contact with a group of educators at our on-site teacher 
workshops.  As part of this interaction, we asked educators to prepare and share lesson plans that 
use data pertinent to their specific classroom situation and curriculum.  This was an optional part 
of the first annual workshop, and a required element in the second workshop.  In both cases, 
some teachers went above and beyond the basic requirements to provide a number of really 
excellent lesson plans that can provide inspiration to other educators. 
3.  E-Mentor Network:  The original MY NASA DATA proposal to NASA envisioned a 
network of local mentors, including individuals such as retired scientists and engineers, who 
would be able to interact directly with teachers and students.  However, discussions with other 
groups and consideration of the requirements for background checks and other security measures 
quickly lead us to modify this idea.  Currently the mentor network consists of a variety of 
individuals, scientists and educators, who are available via email for consultation on MY NASA 
DATA-related concerns.  These concerns might be scientific questions that arise as a teacher or 
student is exploring a custom microset; or they might be pedagogical questions from a teacher 
who is developing a lesson plan incorporating data.  Questions are submitted via the website 
using a simple web form, and forwarded to the mentor network after a review by the team.  This 
allows the team to directly respond to simple questions, and to filter out questions that are 
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outside the scope of the project.  For questions of interest, multiple responses may be received 
from the mentors.  As needed, these are integrated by the team into a single response, or 
sometimes multiple responses are provided with information about the expert.  An email is then 
sent back to the questioner, and the question and response are also posted on the website under 
the Frequently Asked Questions.  The mentor network has not been used much to date, but a few 
excellent questions have been submitted (example: If water vapor is invisible, why can you see 
steam?). 
4.  Monthly e-notes:  This feature was initiated in August 2006, to further foster a MY 
NASA DATA community.  A brief (about one page) email update is sent to workshop alumni, e-
mentors, and subscribers to a MY NASA DATA newslist maintained by the ASDC.  This E-note 
provides an update on new things (lesson plans, project ideas, datasets, …) that have been posted 
on the website, and provides information on any timely events (Earth Science Week, National 
Metric Week, etc.).  Each E-note also features a feedback question of the month, through which 
we invite dialog from the MY NASA DATA community about various features of the project. 
5.  Future interaction:  An additional type of interaction that we plan for but have not yet 
achieved is to get and post student and citizen science reports on projects that have been carried 
out using MY NASA DATA resources.  These projects should provide examples and inspiration 
for other students who may be interested in starting a project using authentic NASA data. 
Summary 
The MY NASA DATA project provides one approach to making exploration of authentic 
Earth system science data accessible to larger communities.  We invite the Bulletin’s readership 
to join the MY NASA DATA community by:  suggesting additional datasets for the LAS, 
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joining the e-mentor network, sharing this resource with citizen scientists, and providing other 
suggestions. 
References 
Chambers, L. H., D. F. Young, P. K. Costulis, P. T. Detweiler, D. B. Stoddard, R. Sepulveda, 
Joyce D. Watkins, and A. Falcone, 2003:  The CERES S'COOL Project, Bull. Amer. Meteor. 
Soc., June, 2003, pp. 759-765. 
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Cloud Coverage, % 
Date Aswan Kampala 
Jan-00 39.5 57 
Feb-00 32 58.5 
Mar-00 24.5 70 
Apr-00 23.5 66 
May-00 21 64 
Jun-00 11.5 48.5 
Jul-00 16 49.5 
Aug-00 6.5 61 
Sep-00 15 60.5 
Oct-00 8.5 74.5 
Nov-00 15.5 77 
Dec-00 18.5 68.5 
Figure 1 – A simple static microset comparing monthly average cloud fraction for two 
locations in Africa:  Aswan, Egypt at (24 N, 32 E) and Kampala, Uganda at (0 N, 32 E).  
This microset is a powerful illustration of the impact of the Intertropical Convergence Zone 
on the weather and climate of this region. 
 
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Figure 2.  Sample screen shots from the Live Access Server (LAS) which allows the creation and 
exploration of custom microsets from over 100 Earth sytem science parameters.  a)  Initial screen 
showing highest level topical selection.  b)  Common interface for selection of output options, 
which allows selection of either image or text output.  c)  Sample of image output.  d)  Sample of 
text output, including the notation “…..” for unavailable or default values. 
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Figure 3.  The MY NASA DATA team, a diverse group of programmers, scientists, educators, 
and administrative support.  The citizen scientist consultant, who is located remotely, does not 
appear in this photo. 


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