Online Tools For Data Research

Online Tools for Student Research with Video Tutorials

As part of the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign, we want to showcase some great online tools that can assist in data analysis, data visualization, and imagery analysis. Online tools can be used as aides in student research from local to global environments. Comparing ground-based data from GLOBE with satellite and airborne data can serve as an amazing way to focus student research.

Below, you will find some great, short video tutorials from our campaign teams' favorite online tools for student research. These tutorials were part of past campaign webinars. We have extracted the tutorials so that students and educators can easily access the content.

Looking at GLOBE Land Cover and Tree Height for Student Research

Year 4 of the campaign has been highlighting 2 major online tools:  The Global Forest Canopy Height Tool and Global Land Cover Viewer Tool! These tools allow you to look at global to regional to local land cover and tree height data and can be used to supplement your GLOBE student research projects.

We have also developed 126 GLOBE country land cover maps (with tree height statistics) to help you in your research. You can find them at the links below:

Land Cover (with Tree Height Statistics) Map for all 126 GLOBE Program countries

Land Cover (with Tree Height Statistics) Map for GLOBE Asia and Pacific Region (19 countries)

Land Cover (with Tree Height Statistics) Map for GLOBE Africa Region (27 countries)

Land Cover (with Tree Height Statistics) Map for GLOBE Europe and Eurasia Region (45 countries)

Land Cover (with Tree Height Statistics) Map for GLOBE Near East and North Africa Region (13 countries)

Land Cover (with Tree Height Statistics) Map for GLOBE Latin America and Caribbean Region (20 countries)

Land Cover (with Tree Height Statistics) Map for GLOBE North America Region (2 countries)

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New for Year 4 of the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign

A discussion on the Landsat 9 mission and launch. Peder also introduces the newest online tools for looking at land cover and tree/forest height change over time. This clip was taken from the October 19, 2021 Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Webinar entitled, "A Himalayan Expedition with GISN Member, Yashraj Patil: Looking at the GLOBE Program’s First High Altitude GLOBE Land Cover, Cloud, and Hydrosphere Data. Region Focus: Asia and Pacific."

 

 

Peder Nelson takes a deep dive into using online tools to look at land cover and tree/canopy height in the GLOBE Asia & Pacific Region. This clip came from the November 16, 2021 Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Webinar entitled, "Introducing the Trees Around the GLOBE 50 Years of Data Challenge: How has land cover and tree height changed in your location in the last 50 years? Region Focus: Asia and Pacific."

 

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Collect Earth

Collect Earth: Collect Earth is a tool that enables data collection through Google Earth. In conjunction with Google Earth, Bing Maps and Google Earth Engine, users can analyze high and very high resolution satellite imagery for a wide variety of purposes.

 

All About Collect Earth - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

 

Collect Earth and the Baobab Tree - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

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GLOBE and Open Altimetry

ICESat-2 Data on Open Altimetry: OpenAltimetry is a cyberinfrastructure platform for discovery, access, and visualization of data from NASA’s ICESat and ICESat-2 missions. These laser profiling altimeters are being used to measure changes in the topography of Earth’s ice sheets, vegetation canopy structure, and clouds and aerosols. A new paradigm for data access was required to serve the needs of a diverse scientific community seeking to take advantage of these unique observations. OpenAltimetry, which is the product of a collaboration between the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego, was custom-built to meet these needs.

 

Using the Open Altimetry Tool to Look at ICESat-2 Tree Canopy Heights and Earth Elevations from Space - Amy FitzGerrell, National Snow and  Center, Colorado USA

 

Comparing GLOBE and ICESat-2 Tree Height Data on Open Altimetry - Brian Campbell, NASA WFF and GST, Inc, Virginia USA

 

GLOBE Visualization System and Open Altimetry - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

 

ICESat and Global Estimates of Forest Canopy Height - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

 

Comparing an Aerial or Satellite Image to GLOBE and ICESat-2 Tree Height Data for Student Research - Brian Campbell, NASA WFF and GST, Inc. Virginia USA

 

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Global Forest Watch, Google Earth Engine, and NASA Worldview

Global Forest Watch: Thousands of people around the world use Global Forest Watch every day to monitor and manage forests, stop illegal deforestation and fires, call out unsustainable activities, defend their land and resources, sustainably source commodities, and conduct research at the forefront of conservation.

Google Earth Engine: Google Earth Engine combines a multi-petabyte catalog of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets with planetary-scale analysis capabilities and makes it available for scientists, researchers, and developers to detect changes, map trends, and quantify differences on the Earth's surface.

NASA Worldview: NASA's EOSDIS provides the capability to interactively browse over 600 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now".

 

A Quick Look at Global Forest Watch and NASA Worldview - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

 

Looking at Global Forest Watch, Google Earth Engine, NASA WorldView, and the GLOBE Visualization System - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

 

Looking at Google Earth Engine - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA and Dr. Christopher Shuman, NASA GSFC and UMBC, Maryland USA

 

Make Your Own Landsat Time Series with Google Earth Engine - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

 

Looking at Carbon Cycle Data with NASA WorldView and the GLOBE Visualization System - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

 

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My NASA Data

My NASA Data: NASA offers petabytes of global Earth science data collected from satellites but accessing these data in a traditional science classroom can be tricky. After nearly 15 years of offering Earth science data to educators and students, NASA continues to refine the My NASA Data program to better suit the needs of teachers and students in engaging students in authentic data analysis.

Looking at My NASA Data - Angela Rizzi, NASA LARC, Virginia USA

 
GLOBE Data and ArcGIS StoryMaps
 
ArcGIS StoryMaps: Create inspiring, immersive stories by combining text, interactive maps, and other multimedia content. Publish and share your story with your organization or everyone around the world.
 
Using GLOBE Data in the Creation a Map for ArcGIS StoryMaps for Student Research - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA
 


 

Creating a StoryMap with your GLOBE Tree Height Data Part I - Dorian Janney - NASA GSFC and ADNET, Maryland USA

 

Creating a StoryMap with your GLOBE Tree Height Data Part II- Dorian Janney - NASA GSFC and ADNET, Maryland USA
 
 
 
Looking at tree height and land cover data with the GLOBE Visualization System and ArcGIS - Peder Nelson, Oregon State University, Oregon USA
 
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Additional Online Tools for Student Research
 
We are constantly updating the resource list below. These resources are external programs that can aide in the development of student research projects, and data analysis and visualization, associated with the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign.
 
  • Forest Observation System: The Forest Observation System is an international cooperation to establish a global in-situ forest biomass database to support earth observation and to encourage investment in relevant field-based observations and science. The Forest Observation System provides well curated biomass plot data in a unified format, that is aggregated from tree level data consistently across different networks.
  • GrowApp: GrowApp allows you to make animations of trees, gardens and landscapes by taking pictures with your smartphone. The app directly transforms these pictures in a time lapse movie that shows changes over the seasons and even over the years. While having fun making an animation of your backyard, you also help scientists better understand the impact of climate change on the environment.

  • A Tree’s Life Tree-Banding Research Program: A Tree’s Life is a citizen science study of backyard tree growth in response to global climate change. Your tree can tell us a lot about forests of the future.

  • GIS Geography: Forests cover about 30% of the Earth’s surface. Over 1 billion people depend on these forests for their survival because it’s their pharmacy, their fuel and food for their animals.
    Forests keep rivers clean. They prevent soil erosion. They prevent landslides and avalanches. They are carbon sinks because they absorb over one-fifth of carbon emissions caused by fossil fuels.
  • NASA Earthdata: The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is a key core capability in NASA’s Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program. It provides end-to-end capabilities for managing NASA’s Earth science data from various sources – satellites, aircraft, field measurements, and various other programs.