Sunday, November 22, 2015

Technology Review: Images of Change

IMAGES OF CHANGE is an visually-rich science website and app from NASA.
Both the website and app contain similar features.
From natural disasters to growing cities, users take a close-up look at pairs of images that show before and after scenes. Students can see glaciers that have melted, the devastation from floods and wildfires, and the impact of humans in different settings.
Each photo pair contains background information and a map showing its location. Photo pairs are shown side-by-side. With the app version, images can also be viewed individually or overlaid with a curtain slider to make comparisons easier.
Users can browse through the images or select categories including cites, extreme events, ice, human impact, water, land cover, top picks, and most recent. Images can also be viewed on a map.
Librarians will find uses for the images across the curriculum including both science and social science topics and issues. Use the image pairs to jumpstart discussions or as the basis for an exploration of topics related to climate change.
Because the project is from NASA which is a government agency, students can use their images in their projects. The website contains an option to download the image and also shows how to credit the source.
To explore the website, go to http://climate.nasa.gov/state_of_flux.