How NASA used a global selfie to map the world's environment
In short: To celebrate the 44th Earth Day in 2014, NASA launched a massive digital experiment. They invited people across the globe to post selfies with their local environments, aiming to create a giant mosaic image of Earth to promote environmental awareness and highlight the agency's vital Earth science work.
The 2014 Earth Day celebrations, held from April 21 to April 27, marked a significant milestone for NASA's Earth science division. For the first time in over a decade, the agency prepared to launch five distinct Earth Science missions into space within a single year. These missions were designed to tackle pressing global challenges, including climate change, extreme weather events, sea level rise, and the management of freshwater resources. These specific orbital endeavors aimed to address critical environmental and climate-related challenges. Such missions represent a core part of the agency's long-term strategy to protect our home planet.
Beyond orbital missions, NASA focused on public engagement through diverse physical and digital channels. In Washington, D.C., exhibits at Union Station utilized Hyperwall and Science Gallery displays to demonstrate how satellite technology monitors our changing planet. Meanwhile, the agency encouraged a global 'selfie' movement, asking participants to share photos of their local surroundings on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Google+ using the GlobalSelfie hashtag.
The scale of NASA's Earth science efforts is reflected in the massive volume of data they manage. Through platforms like Earthdata, the agency provides open access to vast collections of information to accelerate scientific advancement. By the 2025 fiscal year, NASA's Earth science data holdings reached over 178 petabytes, distributed to more than 10 million distinct users and consisting of more than 7.4 billion files.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Earth Day 2014 on This Week @NASA
- Also: www.earthdata.nasa.gov — Your Gateway to NASA Earth Observation Data | NASA Earthdata
- Also: NASA Celebrates Earth Day with Public Events, Online Activities - NASA
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