Geology topics

Ross Beyer

Publications and source records attributed to Ross Beyer.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2014

Summary and abstracts of the Planetary Data Workshop, June 2012

The recent boom in the volume of digital data returned by international planetary science missions continues to both delight and confound users of those data. In just the past decade, the Planetary Data System (PDS), NASA’s official archive of scientific results from U.S. planetary missions, has seen a nearly 50-fold increase in the amount of data and now serves nearly half a petabyte. In only a handful of years, this volume is expected to approach 1 petabyte (1,000 terabytes or 1 quadrillion bytes). Although data providers, archivists, users, and developers have done a creditable job of providing search functions, download capabilities, and analysis and visualization tools, the new wealth of data necessitates more frequent and extensive discussion among users and developers about their current capabilities and their needs for improved and new tools. A workshop to address these and other topics, “Planetary Data: A Workshop for Users and Planetary Software Developers,” was held June 25–29, 2012, at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona. A goal of the workshop was to present a summary of currently available tools, along with hands-on training and how-to guides, for acquiring, processing and working with a variety of digital planetary data. The meeting emphasized presentations by data users and mission providers during days 1 and 2, and developers had the floor on days 4 and 5 using an “unconference” format for day 5. Day 3 featured keynote talks by Laurence Soderblom (U.S. Geological Survey, USGS) and Dan Crichton (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL) followed by a panel discussion, and then research and technical discussions about tools and capabilities under recent or current development. Software and tool demonstrations were held in break-out sessions in parallel with the oral session. Nearly 150 data users and developers from across the globe attended, and 22 National Aeronautics and space Administration (NASA) and non-NASA data providers and missions were represented. Presentations (some in video format) and tutorials are posted on the meeting site ( http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/groups/Planetary-Data-Workshop ).

Open-File Report↗

USGS2012

Progress on archiving, delivering, and working with planetary data

Planetary Data: A Workshop for Users and Software Developers 2012; Flagstaff, Ariz., 25–29 June 2012 The recent boom in the volume of data returned by planetary science missions continues to delight and confound users. Recently the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) has seen an approximately 50‐fold increase in the amount of archived data and now serves nearly half a petabyte. Within 5 years, this volume likely will approach 1 petabyte. While archivists, users, and developers have done a creditable job of providing search and download functions and analysis and visualization tools, the wealth of data necessitates more discussion between users and developers about current limitations and desired improvements.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗

USGS2012

An atlas of Mars sedimentary rocks as seen by HiRISE

Images of distant and unknown places have long stimulated the imaginations of both explorers and scientists. The atlas of photographs collected during the Hayden (1872) expedition to the Yellowstone region was essential to its successful advocacy and selection in 1872 as America’s first national park. Photographer William Henry Jackson of the Hayden expedition captured the public’s imagination and support, returning home with a treasure of images that confirmed the existence of western landmarks previously regarded as glorified myths: the Grand Tetons, Old Faithful, and strange pools of boiling hot mud. Fifty years later, photographer Ansel Adams began his long legacy of providing the public with compilations of iconic images of natural wonders that many only see in prints. Photography in space has provided its own bounty. Who can forget the first image of Earthrise taken by astronaut William Anders in 1968 from Apollo 8; the solemnity of the first photos of the surface of the Moon from the Apollo 11 astronauts; and the startling discovery of the tallest mountain in the solar system (Olympus Mons) on the surface of Mars in images sent from Mariner 9? The images from Mariner 9 also allowed for a game-changing discovery. Earlier, based on very limited Mariner 4 data that covered less than 10% of the planet’s surface, Chapman et al. (1968) speculated that “If substantial aqueous erosion features—such as river valleys— were produced during earlier epochs of Mars, we should not expect any trace of them to be visible.

Book chapter↗