(opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> of those earthquakes, by location and intensity.<\/p>\n\u201cThat has really been an eye-opener for the geologic hazards community,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a common perception that \u2018Arizona isn\u2019t California\u2014we don\u2019t have earthquakes in Arizona.\u2019 But we really do have a hazard here, and Layerscape is helping demonstrate that for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allison, and the Arizona Geological Survey he directs, were among the approximately 30 collaborators working with Layerscape to show its capabilities before the release. Another collaborator has been the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, located in Moss Landing, Calif. There, James G. Bellingham, chief technologist, has been using Layerscape to solve what he calls the \u201cincredible detective story\u201d of understanding the world\u2019s oceans and their role in climate.<\/p>\n
Today, ocean scientists such as Bellingham are collecting enormous amounts of data about the ocean by deploying autonomous underwater vehicles\u2014essentially, underwater robots that can take video and can measure temperature, salinity, chemistry, and currents.<\/p>\n
Managing that growing amount of data is a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past,\u201d Bellingham says, \u201cthe way we visualized data was we created a plot, we printed it on a paper, we put it on the wall, we thought about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manipulate and Visualize<\/h2>\n
But now he uses Layerscape to manipulate and visualize the data.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Layerscape lets us do is interact with the data and explore these data sets,\u201d Bellingham says. \u201cSometimes, we\u2019re really more interested in a story, and Layerscape helps us tell stories. It\u2019s becoming one of the tools that we use now for exploring these data sets, which are not just three-dimensional, but also four-dimensional over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also is collaborating with Fatland\u2014whose background is in earth sciences\u2014on an instrument package that will measure the DNA and RNA of marine organisms as they drift through the ocean.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur question is: How do these organisms respond to the changing ocean environment?\u201d Bellingham says. \u201cAnd can we actually see, in a visual way, how these organisms are distributed? That\u2019s what Rob is helping me work out with Layerscape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark Abbott, dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University, is another ocean scientist collaborating with Microsoft Research on Layerscape. He sees great potential in Layerscape\u2019s ability to handle diverse, complex data while also creating new opportunities for collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u201cLayerscape offers the opportunity,\u201d Abbott says, \u201cto look at a whole range of variables and overlay them in space and, eventually, in time\u2014so you can see how these ocean landscapes change and respond to changes in the environment,\u201d such as climate change and the increasing acidification of the oceans.<\/p>\n
Get It Now<\/h2>\n
Layerscape is available as a free download to run in conjunction with WorldWide Telescope.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe the earth sciences are an important space in research, and we know that, for most researchers, money is tight,\u201d Fatland says. \u201cWe believe these people are worth supporting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although downloadable by anyone, Layerscape is aimed primarily at scientists, who can sample the program and provide more feedback. That will help Microsoft Research build features in preparation for a future release.<\/p>\n
Certainly, if the success of WorldWide Telescope is any indication, Layerscape in time will prove popular with the public as well as the scientific community. WorldWide Telescope has been downloaded 4 million times and is used by researchers and educators, as well as people simply interested in exploring space from their desktop.<\/p>\n
Using Layerscape, that exploration now extends to a planet\u2014our own\u2014that is well-known to most people, but not really well-understood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Douglas Gantenbein, Senior Writer, Microsoft News Center As the state geologist for Arizona, Lee Allison knows granite from sandstone, a syncline from an anticline. But he has lacked the ability to look through rocks to visualize the inner workings of the Earth. Until now. In the past year, Allison has been using a Microsoft […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39507,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"msr-url-field":"","msr-podcast-episode":"","msrModifiedDate":"","msrModifiedDateEnabled":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194474,194480],"tags":[214133,193650,214124,195493,214127,193594,214136,214130,187311],"research-area":[13563,13551],"msr-region":[],"msr-event-type":[],"msr-locale":[268875],"msr-post-option":[],"msr-impact-theme":[],"msr-promo-type":[],"msr-podcast-series":[],"class_list":["post-304406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-data-visulalization","category-graphics-and-multimedia","tag-animated-visualization","tag-climate-change","tag-earth-scientists","tag-environmental-scientist","tag-health-epidemics","tag-layerscape","tag-microsoft-excel-add-in","tag-oceanic-shifts","tag-worldwide-telescope","msr-research-area-data-platform-analytics","msr-research-area-graphics-and-multimedia","msr-locale-en_us"],"msr_event_details":{"start":"","end":"","location":""},"podcast_url":"","podcast_episode":"","msr_research_lab":[],"msr_impact_theme":[],"related-publications":[],"related-downloads":[],"related-videos":[],"related-academic-programs":[],"related-groups":[],"related-projects":[170877],"related-events":[],"related-researchers":[],"msr_type":"Post","byline":"","formattedDate":"February 16, 2012","formattedExcerpt":"By Douglas Gantenbein, Senior Writer, Microsoft News Center As the state geologist for Arizona, Lee Allison knows granite from sandstone, a syncline from an anticline. But he has lacked the ability to look through rocks to visualize the inner workings of the Earth. Until now.…","locale":{"slug":"en_us","name":"English","native":"","english":"English"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304406"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304406"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305363,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304406\/revisions\/305363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"msr-research-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-area?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"msr-region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-region?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"msr-event-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-event-type?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"msr-locale","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-locale?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"msr-post-option","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-post-option?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"msr-impact-theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-impact-theme?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"msr-promo-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-promo-type?post=304406"},{"taxonomy":"msr-podcast-series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-podcast-series?post=304406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}