An interactive data visualization on 19,000 square feet of digital signboard on Times Square.
In March of 2002, NASA launched the GRACE mission. It consists of two satellites, designed to measure and map the Earth's gravity fields. Each month, the two satellites complete a full scan of the earth, allowing scientists to study how variations in the earth's gravity fields, from which changes in groundwater levels can be derived, are developing over time. This 30-second data visualization uses the measurements collected by the GRACE satellites over a period of 10 years to show seasonal and long-term changes in groundwater levels. The Nasdaq screen shows a map of the world through the eyes of GRACE, a topography made of measurement data. It shows the yearly cycle of groundwater depletion and replenishment, the rainy seasons in the Amazon, and parts of the world suffering from yearly droughts. These measurements allow us to see this natural spectacle on a global scale for the first time. However, they also reveal that some areas show a steady decline in groundwater levels. These long-term changes in groundwater levels are indicated both on the map and on the narrow but very high screen of the Reuters building, where groundwater levels in several key areas are visualized as a virtual gauging rod. It shows that while some areas have been able to reverse the trend of declining groundwater levels, others show a sharp decline starting from the 1960s.
The aim of this visualization is to show, on one hand, the beauty and overwhelming complexity of the natural cycle of wet and dry seasons, and, on the other hand, highlight the challenge of carefully managing our use of groundwater.
An interactive feature allows the audience to engage with the visualization by adding their own city to a scrolling ticker of historic groundwater levels across the world using a mobile application. The website headsup2012.com keeps an archive of all submitted cities.