Discovery and Analysis of Intersecting Datasets: JMARS as a Comparative Science Platform

Abstract:

A great deal can be discovered from comparing and studying a chosen region or area on a planetary body. In this age, science has an enormous amount of instruments and data to study from; often the first obstacle can be finding the right information. Developed at Arizona State University, Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing (JMARS), enables users to easily find and study related datasets. JMARS supports a long list of planetary bodies in our solar system, including Earth, the Moon, Mars, and other planets, satellites, and asteroids.

Within JMARS a user can start with a particular area and search for all datasets that have images/information intersecting that region of interest. Once a user has found data they are interested in comparing, they can view the image at once and see the numeric information at that location. This information can be analyzed in a few powerful ways.

If the dataset of interest varies with time but the location stays constant, then the user may want to compare specific locations through time. This can be done the Investigate Tool in JMARS. Users can create a Data Spike and the information at that point will be plotted through time. If the region does not have a temporal dataset, then a different method would be suitable and involves a profile line. Also using the Investigate Tool, a user can create a Data Profile (a line which can contain as many vertices as necessary) and all numeric data underneath the line will be plotted on one graph for easy comparison. This can be used to compare differences between similar datasets – perhaps the same measurement but from different instruments – or to find correlations from one dataset to another.

A third form of analysis is planned for future development. This method involves entire areas (polygons). Sampling of the different data sources beneath an area can reveal statistics like maximum, minimum, and average values, and standard deviation. These values can be compared to other data sources under the given area.

JMARS has the ability to geographically locate and display a vast array of remote sensing data for a user. In addition to its powerful searching ability, it also enables users to compare datasets using the Data Spike and Data Profile techniques. Plots and tables from this data can be exported and used in presentations, papers, or external software for further study.