*To use computer visualization to assist scientists in analyzing data, and in communicating facets of their research to their colleagues and the public at large
*Provide insight into scientific concepts and discoveries through innovative Visualization and Analyses
* World-class visualization activities focused on NASA Earth Science missions and projects
* Transfer of commercial visualization technology to science-oriented activities
* Full range of data display capabilities, from stunning stills to insightful animations to complete movie production
* Turn scientific data and concepts into compelling visuals that provide insight across the range of audiences
* Comprehensive support for formal and informal education and outreach visualization work, including the highly successful Electronic Theater

What is VAL?

VAL does visualizations for science, education, and outreach, and "do" here is full-service, from producing the actual visuals, to working to define the visuals and the story that they support, to using/learning/finding/programming the software that builds the visuals, to buying/adapting/caring for the hardware, to working with users to find/define/promote concepts that can be visualized

VAL Staff

Staff Member	E-Mail	Responsibility
Fritz Hasler	hasler at agnes.gsfc.nasa.gov	Civil Servant, Scientist
Mike Manyin	manyin at agnes.gsfc.nasa.gov	Team Coordinator, Programmer
Marit Jentoft-Nilsen	jentoft-nilsen at agnes.gsfc.nasa.gov	Senior Animator/Software Engineer
Craig Mayhew	mayhew at agnes.gsfc.nasa.gov	Software Engineer, Programmer
Mark Malanoski	malanoski at agnes.gsfc.nasa.gov	E-Theater Support, Animator
Hal Pierce	pierce at emily.gsfc.nasa.gov	Senior Programmer, Analyst
Amanda Stolarski	astolars at agnes.gsfc.nasa.gov	Former Webmaster, Animator
Barbara Summey	tba.gsfc.nasa.gov	tba

VAL FAQ

Why does my image download stop? Why can't I download the image/animation?

It is possible that images may not come across due to slow connection speed, out of date web browsers, or not enough memory for the requested file size. In this event, please check that you are downloading an image whose size that is appropriate for your computer set up. We try to provide an assortment of file sizes to meet your needs. If you have checked that the file size is small enough and your computer does have available memory and you are still not able to download an image/animation, please contact the VAL webmaster.

This may be the result of the file type, version of your browser, or file size. Let's presume that you are using a current version of your browser and are downloading an appropriate file size, and deal with the other problem: file type. Some of our images and animations come in file types such as tif or MPEG. These types are beyond the capabilities of most web browsers and often cause your computer to prompt you asking if it should download the image and attempt to open it in another application. This could work for tifs especially if you have an image editing application. They usually can read TIFFs. If you are attempting to open a MPEG, MPEG-2 file, please download one of the free applications listed below in order to play it. Other file types will have to be addressed on a case by case basis.

Can I get a smaller/larger version of that visualization?

Yes you can! And, more often than not, you can do it yourself. To retain the best quality, download the largest image possible without overtaxing your machine or the internet connection, and simply open it in an image editing software and resize. The applications are available for all platforms from a variety of developers or can be found on machine at most printing/copying commercial facilities or at some libraries. Making a smaller image from a larger retains quality because the image is starting with more information than it ends up with. We usually offer the largest size possible on the site due to the constraints of the satellite imagery, data, or image process. Therefore, under most circumstances, we cannot create a larger image despite the demand. In order to create a larger image than the one we have listed, simply download the largest image and increase its size in an image editing application.

In order to print in a particular DPI, download the image and open it in an image editing application. Most of these applications allow you to adjust DPI. The image size may change or become distorted due to scaling if it is not changing it proportionally.

Unfortunately, we usually do not make bumper stickers, or t-shirts of our images or make posters for public distribution. When we do create posters it is in limited number and designated for an event, such as a conference. If you would like a t-shirt, there exist transfers which can be bought at computer stores which have printing supplies. These usually work for ink jet printers. You can download the image and print it out onto the transfer. Follow the directions on the transfer paper packaging for detailed instructions.

What programs can I use for viewing MPEG-2 files on Mac? Windows?LINUX?

Windows- elecard
Mac (OS X only) and LINUX- VideoLAN