Spaghetti of Storms 2005 - an animation of storms worldwide throughout the year - Mark Ballora
139 views · Published 16 May 2017 · 12:42 · Indexed 4 November 2026
Channel: wpsu · 2017 · Science & Technology
Spaghetti of Storms 2005 - an animation of storms worldwide throughout the year - Mark Ballora The mapping of storm characteristics to sound (sonification) adds a visceral dimension to visual presentation, making it more engaging to viewers and compelling, as well as providing information about the storms. By adding a sound track to science presentations that educates and informs through music, students are likely to form a more intuitive and holistic understanding of the material. If a generation of students is educated to regard science as something that is listened to as well as looked at, it could have significant impacts on the research environment twenty or thirty years down the line. Ballora created the sound trail based on data provided by meteorology professor Jenni Evans, and an animation created by Wade Shumaker of IST. A version of this presentation is on display at the Earth and Mineral Sciences museum; Meteorology professor Jenni Evans, who commissioned the sonifications, has found that not only are the sonifications more engaging, but they can help observers understand aspects of storm systems that are not always clear from visual displays alone. Adding sonifications to scientific displays has the potential to advance discovery and understanding while promoting learning by engaging students through new modalities; broaden participation of under-represented groups by making information available to students with visual impairments or who are on the autism spectrum and have difficulty absorbing visual information; broaden dissemination to enhance scientific understanding by providing new multi-media modalities for presentations that make technical or arcane concepts understandable to lay audiences; and help engage and inform the general public about critical issues of science and responsible stewardship.
