About SOS Explorer®

SOS Explorer® (SOSx) is a flat screen version of the widely popular Science On a Sphere® (SOS). The revolutionary software takes SOS datasets, usually only seen on a 6-foot sphere in large museum spaces, and makes them more accessible. Animated images such as atmospheric storms, climate change, and ocean temperature can be shown in SOSx, which explains sometimes complex environmental processes in a way that is simultaneously intuitive and captivating.

NOAA uses SOSx as an instrument to highlight and disseminate cutting edge science to the world through visualizations that show information provided by satellites, ground observations and computer models straight on your personal computer or mobile device! This incredible software is free to install on your mobile device and will be free to install straight onto your Windows personal computer in late spring 2024! Learning more on our Getting SOS Explorer® page.

There are some key differences between SOS Explorer® and SOS Explorer® Mobile. The table below highlights the major differences and can help you decide what version is right for you. For further clarification, email sos.explorer@noaa.gov.

	SOS Explorer®	SOS Explorer® Mobile
What is it?	SOSx is a virtual sphere used to show many of the SOS datasets on a flat screen display, touchscreen, or a projector.	SOSx mobile is a virtual sphere used to show many of the SOS datasets on a flat screen mobile device.
What is required?	Windows personal computer less than 5-7 years old and at least 8GB of RAM, ~6 GB of disk space for an “essential” dataset download or ~165 GB for a full dataset download.	A mobile device: Apple, Android or Chromebook
What data is available?	~ 175 datasets and counting	~ 175 datasets and counting
Can I add my own datasets?	Yes	No
Can I make a preset sequence of datasets?	Yes	No
Can I show it in my classroom?	Yes	Yes, by mirroring or casting your mobile device on another display.
Can my students use it?	Yes, you can install it on any computer that meets the required specifications.	Yes, it’s available for most mobile devices
Can I use it in a museum?	Yes	Yes
Does it require a strong, consistent internet?	No, only for the initial install and if you choose real-time datasets.	Yes, datasets are streamed over the Internet.
Does it have real-time data?	Yes	Yes
Can I choose which datasets I want to download during the initial installation	Yes, you can decide between an “essential” list, a “custom” list, or all datasets.	No, you get all datasets - a selection of our most popular datasets, with the exception of real-time.
What is the cost?	Free in late Spring 2024 for personal or classroom use. If you need an exhibit and customer support, email sos.contact@noaa.gov for distributor list.	Free

• Easy to use interface - compatible with touchscreen - for maximum interactivity
• Over 175 datasets, including real-time datasets with descriptions
• Educational videos linked to specific datasets for deeper inquiry
• Tours that create a narrative through the datasets and help users make connections
• Analysis tools to easily measure, probe, and plot data from the visualizations
• Immersive, first person experiences: pilot a submarine, or take cover from a tornado
• Stunning graphics in beautiful 4k resolution
• Dual screen or single screen configuration options
• SOSx Tour Builder that allows for the addition of new datasets and the creation of tours
• 360 degree video content
• Compatibility with interactive projectors, screens, tables, and smartboards

In the mirrored screen set-up, everything fits on just one screen and the user can either use a keyboard and mouse or a touchscreen to control the software. In a classroom, the single screen can be displayed on a large television or projector for the whole class to see, making it the ideal teaching tool. The equipment for the single screen set-up varies based on your desired use. The single screen equipment list includes everything required for the classroom set-up. This is freely available - COMING SOON - with limited customer support.

In the dual screen set-up, the interactive visualizations are displayed on the touchscreen and also mirrored on the large display for others to view. Colorbars, labels, and text boxes are shown on the large screen only, while the search window and other user interfaces show up only on the touchscreen. The result is an exhibit that can be controlled by one person and enjoyed by many. The dual screen equipment list includes everything required for this exhibit set-up. If you plan to use SOS Explorer as an exhibit, we recommend reaching out to sos.contact@noaa.gov for a distributor list to acquire an exhibit-quality installation with full customer.

SOS Explorer® comes with the SOSx Tour Builder that allows for the addition of new content and the creation of custom tours. Tours allow you to tell a story with datasets and help users make tangible and understandable connections between the animations and their lives. Tours are scripted presentations that walk a user through the datasets using a storyline and a learning goal. These can include text, guiding questions, pop-up web content, videos, pictures/diagrams, and click-able place marks. The system comes with several tours crafted by NOAA and with the SOSx Tour Builder, you can create as many new tours as you like!

Explore Earth and space from anywhere!

SOS Explorer® Mobile (SOSx Mobile) is a mobile app version of SOSx — freely available for download — that allows users to explore a select group of SOS datasets and learn more, all from their mobile device!

Using their own personal mobile device, users have complete control over which visualizations they want to explore. The global visualizations can be viewed on a virtual globe or as a flat map at the press of a button. Visualizations are live streamed and cached for quick, high resolution playback. Colorbars, labels, and text boxes are displayed for explanation and can be moved, resized, and hidden by the user for better viewing. The search window slides into view when in use and then slips away for optimal interaction with the selected visualization.

To see both SOS Explorer® and SOS Explorer® Mobile in action, check out our video series SOSx with Beth & Hil.

SOS Explorer® was developed by NOAA’s Global Systems Division (GSL), which also developed Science On a Sphere® (SOS). (Learn more about SOS.) Wanting to build off of the success of SOS and expand the reach of SOS into classrooms and homes as well as museums who don’t have the physical space for a full Science On a Sphere®, developers created a flat screen version of SOS called SOS Explorer® (SOSx).

Several factors came together at the right time to lead to the development of SOSx. After field trips to see NOAA’s popular SOS, many teachers often asked how they could bring the same experience of viewing global data into their classrooms. Most teachers didn’t have a budget for installing SOS into their schools and needed other options. A flat screen version that could be displayed on computer monitors and projectors seemed like an obvious solution. At the same time, GSLdevelopers were working on Terraviz™, a visualization engine that utilized gaming technology to generate high resolution interactive displays. As part of their work, they were using Terraviz to create a virtual globe that scientists could use to display and analyze global weather models. As the technology matured, it became clear that Terraviz could be used for both scientists and teachers. Two different products emerged — the NOAA Earth Information System (NEIS) was developed for scientific use and SOS Explorer® was developed for educational and public use.

Just in time for the virtual learning revolution that emerged from the pandemic response, SOS Explorer was released in 2019 as a free mobile application. Realizing that because SOS Explorer was built using gaming technology it could support other platforms such as a mobile application. Mobile platforms presented a unique challenge because whereas in the past both SOS and SOSx could support visualizations installed locally on the computer, mobile devices have far less space and power. The team adopted a model where information could be streamed similar to other popular video websites.