NASA's Earth Now

NASA's Earth Now
(Developed by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Available for: iOS
Price: Free

Developed by the Earth Science Communications and Visualization Technology Applications and Development Teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with support from NASA Headquarters, Earth Now puts the whole world in your hands. The app delivers brilliantly detailed visualizations of real-time global climate data culled from Earth Science satellites, illustrating changes in surface air temperature, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and water vapor alongside gravity and sea level variations. Data sets are visually portrayed via "false color" maps, complete with color-coded legends that indicate the relative strength or weakness of an environmental condition. The climate data comes together in an interactive 3D model of the earth--users can rotate the view with a single finger stroke, and pinch the screen to zoom in or out.

This is heady stuff, of course, but Earth Now helps make it accessible. The app is thoughtfully designed, the information is clear and direct, and the graphics are gorgeous. Other educational apps could learn a thing or two.