Polar Explorer
This application was developed for use as a kiosk accompanying the full-dome planetarium show ICE WORLDS produced by the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It contains 7 different sections that cover a wide variety of topics concerning the poles of the Earth, including seasonal snow and ice changes, potential polar melt, current events and more. Many of the sections feature interactive animations and activities that help teach why the poles are important, and new polar topics can be easily added to the 'Polar Update' section of the software to keep it up to date.
While it was originally intended as a museum kiosk, Polar Explorer would function equally well as a learning tool for teachers in a classroom setting.
Polar Explorer is a full-screen application available as a FREE download
Features
Includes 7 sections on...
- Seasons - interactive animations of seasonal snow and ice coverage, including an easy to understand relationship to the Earth's orbit
- Polar Melt - interactive exploration of coastal flooding if the poles were to melt
- Magnetic Poles - can you locate the poles?
- Map Explorer - beautiful world map allowing many different interactive overlays (elevation, geopolitical, city lights)
- Polar Claims - who owns the poles?
- Polar Life - where do polar bears and penguins live
- Polar Update - news and events
Sample screenshots
A view of the 'Seasons' section, showcasing the globe animations depicting the orbit and seasonal tilt of the Earth
You can explore potential coastal flooding around the world if the polar caps were to melt
Users can test their knowledge of the location of the magnetic poles in this animated activity