HoloGLOBE Augmented Reality for ICESat-2 Mission Outreach

摘要

Augmented Reality (AR) is a cutting-edge tool that, when integrated successfully, is extremely valuable as a novel educational outreach product that can be readily distributed via mobile phones and tablets. This paper will describe and demonstrate a NASA ICESat-2 mission module for the existing HoloGLOBE AR application to engage and educate users of all ages. ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2) was launched in September of 2018 and is currently collecting data of Earth's heights using lasers. The data collected will be useful in understanding climate change, especially changes to ice mass in the polar regions. This application of AR is thus utilized to educate and excite the public about the mission. Using the HoloGLOBE app in conjunction with the Merge Cube as a means of communication, users are able to visualize and interact with the globe in their own hands to further understand the polar orbit of ICESat-2 and the elevation data that it is collecting. The app contains an animated character, 'Pho the Photon,' a mission mascot designed by students at the Savannah College of Art and Design that leads users through one of the module's activities that provides information about the mission. The other activity allows users to browse through a gallery of point cloud data samples that the satellite has collected, showing elevation data for a specific location on the globe. By integrating Pho as an animated, friendly character to accompany information about the ICESat-2 mission and additionally providing a gallery of point cloud data through which users can browse, the module has exceeded expectations in providing educational and engaging content for all.