SOS Explorer Lite Content

What's new with SOSx Lite 2.0?

  • Released July 2017
  • New datasets! See SOSx Lite Content for specifics.
  • Compatible with touch screens
  • New user interface
  • More information buttons - press to access websites, images, and videos that help to explain the topics explored in the datasets.
  • Real-time Earthquakes is back.
  • Windows download is lighter and more efficient.


Datasets Included


SOS Explorer Lite 2.0 comes with a select collection of datasets, mostly from the Science On a Sphere data catalog. In addition, three educational tours have been crafted that weave many of the included datasets together to help users draw connections and better understand the science behind the datasets through learning goals.

Explanation of Tours

There are three educational tours and one help tour in SOS Explorer Lite that can be accessed by clicking the icons on the bottom left of SOSx screen.

Tours are scripted presentations that walk a user through the datasets using a storyline and a learning goal. These often include text, guiding questions, pop-up web content, videos, pictures/diagrams, and click-able place marks.

We imagine tours being used by teachers as direct presentations in the classroom and as learning modules – either to familiarize users with the application and the datasets or as direct learning modules for secondary students (6th – 12th grade).

Secondary student worksheets can be used when students are allowed to work through the tours on their own. The worksheets ask students to record answers to questions asked during tour along with deeper thought questions. Secondary student worksheets are included for each tour under Lessons and Extension Materials.

Earth System Tour

Learning Goal:

Visualize, understand and be able to explain how heat and sunlight are connected to each part of the Earth system – life, atmosphere, ice, rock and water.

Datasets:

  • Real-time Clouds (updates each time you open program), Real-time Day/Night Lighting (updates each time you open program), Topography and Bathymetry, Land Vegetation

Lessons and Extension Materials:


Plate Tectonics Tour

Learning Goal:

Visualize, understand and be able to explain how earthquakes and volcanoes are related and how the age of the seafloor can be explained by movement of Earth’s tectonic plates over time.

Datasets:

  • Topography and Bathymetry, Land Vegetation

Lessons and Extension Materials:


Wind and Weather Tour

Learning Goal:

Visualize, understand and be able to explain the basic concepts for what causes weather, wind, and ocean currents.

Datasets:

  • Real-time Clouds (updates each time you open program), Topography and Bathymetry, Land Vegetation

Lessons and Extension Materials: