High definition geovisualization: Earth and biodiversity sciences for informal audiences

Abstract

Geographers can play an essential role in interpreting Earth and Biodiversity Science concepts to general audiences. Museums and informal science institutions have begun to use visualizations of geospatial data within high definition video (HDTV) programming to present complex science concepts to audiences of varying ages and varying scientific training. The diversity of experience and understanding among audiences imposes many demands on geographers working with HDTV, for they must simultaneously provide content of interest to novices and experts alike. This chapter introduces essential guidelines for producing HDTV geovisualizations while emphasizing the particular talents that geographers bring to bear on time series visualizations involving geospatial data.