Game Changers Online Seminar

Seeing the Unseen: Accurate and Inclusive Colour Scales in Space Science

Webinar with Fabio Crameri

(ISSI, Bern, Switzerland)

Thursday, 5th September 2024
(17h CEST | 11h EDT)

Please click here for the Zoom Session

Meeting ID: 852 6990 9362 Password: 459004

In the vast landscape of scientific data, colour serves as a golden key to its comprehension. From the depths of the cosmos to the intricacies of elementary particles, the deliberate use of colour in scientific visualisation enriches our understanding and enables us to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

As of today, scientific visualisation is rarely part of the obligatory curriculum of an upcoming space scientist. In terms of colour use, the space science community therefore swings back and forth between self-educated science-proof application and peer-endorsed misuse. When misused, data visualisation can exclude readers or misguide them. In the worst case, it does both.

From the properties of the light source to the ultimate recognition in the visual cortex, the study of human colour perception is extensive and has a long history. Creating accessible and accurate scientific visualisation with colour has, in contrast, become easy: All necessary aspects are understood; all necessary tools exist.

Here, the speaker will provide you with the basic understanding to use—and not misuse—colour for visualising everything from the Cosmic microwave background to the surface topography of Mars. Pioneering science-proof colour palettes and gradients are now made available in great numbers to conquer space science research and communication. To avoid shortage of supplies, the speaker will also introduce you to the newest version of the Scientific colour maps and when to apply their different palette and gradient types.

About the Speaker

Fabio Crameri graduated from ETH Zurich with a PhD in Geophysics in 2013. Until 2020, he worked as a researcher at the University College in London and the University of Oslo on global-scale mantle convection in the Earth and on other silicate planets. Fabio developed numerical models, post-processing toolboxes, and up-to-date concepts like ‚Ocean-plate tectonics‘. He brought together experts across the Earth Sciences to build the transdisciplinary Subduction Zone Initiation (SZI) Database (www.szidatabase.org) and created ‚ProAc’ (www.fabiocrameri.ch/proac), the multi-metric academic profile for academic evaluation.

To promote accurate and inclusive science visuals, Fabio created the open-access graphics collection s-ink.org, designed the Scientific colour maps (www.fabiocrameri.ch/colourmaps), and propelled the necessary methodologic change-of-mind throughout academia. Since 2020, he founded Undertone.design for academic graphic design and joined ISSI as Communication Specialist.

Recorded Game Changers Online Seminars

Starting in the summer of 2020, the International Space Science Institute has organised the weekly on-line seminar series called “Game Changers”. After six series of weekly talks on the themes of “Missions that Changed the Game in Solar System, Astrophysics and Earth Sciences” , “Ideas and Findings about the Solar System, the Universe and our Terrestrial Environment”,“Habitability – From Cosmic to Microbial Scales”, “Viewing Earth from Space – the Changing Environment and Climate of our Planet”, and “Captivating Cosmology: From the Big Bang to Tomorrow” and the topic “Space Environmental Hazards: Mitigation and Prediction”, the webinar series continues on a monthly basis.

Eruptive Events on the Sun – from Small to Large Scale with Louise Harra

From OSIRIS-REx to OSIRIS APEX: Mission Results and Future Exploration with Amy Simon (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA)

Geophysics of Exoplanets with Tilman Spohn

The Population of Infant Black Holes in the Early Universe Revealed by JWST with Roberto Maiolino

The Digital Twin of Earth with Peter Bauer

Exoplanet Atmospheric Spectroscopy in the Era of JWST with David Sing

Genetically Modified Galaxies with Andrew Pontzen

Telescopes on the Moon: The Next Decades with Joseph Silk

ECV Products from Satellite Gravimetry: Terrestrial Water Storage and Groundwater with Adrian Jäggi

Exoplanet Measurement Techniques to Discover, Weigh and Characterize Cold Gas Giants Emily Rickman

Sun, Climate and Ozone: 1850–2100 with Judith Lean

Asteroid Deflection and Exploration: Successes and Challenges with Patrick Michel

Climate Change from Space with Gavin A. Schmidt

Life on Miller’s Planet: The Habitability Zone Around Supermassive Black Holes Jeremy D. Schnittman

A Clock for the Solar Cycle Variation of Extreme Space Weather Activity with Sandra Chapman

Reinventing Space Weather with Artificial Intelligence with Enrico Camporeale

Space Weather Impact on Radio Wave Propagation with Norbert Jakowski

Planetary Space Weather Science and Solar System Exploration with Christina Plainaki

Satellite Drag Effects on Satellite Operations and Debris in Low Earth Orbit with Eelco Doornbos

The Shining Earth: The Polar Lights with Jean Lilensten

Flying with Space Weather: Auroras to GPS with Klaus Sievers

The Environmental Sustainability of Space Sciences with Jürgen Knödlseder

How Does Our Space Environment Influence Earth’s Climate?Webinar with Annika Seppälä

Extreme Solar Eruptive Events and Their Terrestrial Impacts Black Swans or Dragon Kings Ilya Usoskin

Understanding the Accelerating Expansion of the Universe and the Hubble Tension with Dan Scolnic

Where Are All the Baryons in the Universe? with Wei Cui

Light from Darkness? Searching for Dark Matter in the Sky with Tracy Slatyer

Structure Formation and the Cosmic Web with Oliver Hahn

The First Steps of Galaxy Evolution with Karina Caputi

Latest from the Cosmic Microwave Background with Erminia Calabrese

Inflation Ends, What’s Next? A Story of How the Hot Big Bang Began with Mustafa Amin

The Cosmic Neutrino Background with Julien Lesgourgues

An Infinity of Worlds: Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe with Will Kinney

On the Emergence of Relativistic Structure from Discrete Space-Time with Tim Maudlin

State of the Climate Crisis with Sonia I. Seneviratne

ESA CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVE in support of Terrestrial Carbon science with Clement Albergel

Creating “Agency” to Act on Climate Change with Chris Rapley

Embedding Space into Natural Capital Stewardship and the Global Carbon Markets Jacqueline McGlade

Water and Energy Cycle from Satellites: From Global to Storms Scales with Rémy Roca

Arctic Changes Derived from Satellites with Johnny Johannessen

The Earth Energy Imbalance and its Implications with Karina von Schuckmann

Changing Northern Lands – Thawing Ground and Expanding Use with Annett Bartsch

Future Food and Water Security – the Role of Remote Sensing with Wolfram Mauser

The Habitability of Galaxies and the Spread of Life with Raphaël Gobat

Space Weather, Space Climate and Habitability on Earth with Thierry Dudok de Wit

Life as an Agent of Sustaining Habitability with Aditya Chopra

Is Water and Rock all that is Needed? Geology, Life and Habitability with Frances Westall

The Habitable Zone Hypothesis: A Critical Look with David C. Catling

Life in Extreme Environments with Ricardo Amils

A Cosmic Perspective: Searching for Aliens, Finding Ourselves with Jill Tarter

Cosmic Explosions and Galactic Life with Tsvi Piran

Origin of Life with Antonio Lazcano

Subsurface Life on Earth and on Other Planets in the Solar System with Barbara Sherwood Lollar

Forecasting Problem Geomagnetic Storms: Are Stealth CMEs a New Space Weather Extreme? Tamitha Skov

Tipping Positive Change to Avoid Climate Tipping Points with Tim Lenton

Energy Imbalance Observed with Space Geodesy with Benoit Meyssignac

Human Spaceflight – Where Are We Going? with Claude Nicollier

Of Bubbles, Filaments, Echoes and Eruptions: First Results from eROSITA with Andrea Merloni

Planetary Magnetic Fields with Sabine Stanley

Discovery Frontiers in the New Era of Observations Gravitational Waves and Light Raffaella Margutti

Seeing the Unseeable – Imaging Black Holes with the Event Horizon Telescope with Angelo Ricarte

Venus: The Next Target of Planetary Exploration with Richard Ghail

Contemporary Global Carbon Cycle and Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on CO2 Emissions Corinne Le Quéré

Testing the Massive Black Hole Paradigm with High Resolution Astronomy with Reinhard Genzel

(Almost) 50 years of Coronal Heating with Joan Schmelz

Age and Formation of the Moon with Thorsten Kleine

Weather Disasters in a Changing Climate with Stephen Belcher

Do We Know What the Sun is Made of? The Puzzle of the Solar Composition with Sarbani Basu

The Merger History of the Milky Way – What Gaia Revealed with Eva Grebel

Planet Formation and Evolution, Understand the Diversity of Planetary Systems -Alessandro Morbidelli

Terrestrial Planetary Seismology with Philippe Lognonné

The Hubble Constant Controversy with Adam Riess

Cascading Interactions Between Tipping Elements in the Anthropocene Earth System - Jonathan Donges

Wind and Waves on the Ocean Surfaces: Insights from the CFOSAT Mission with Danièle Hauser

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer: Timing the Extreme Universe with Tomaso Belloni

Apollo Lunar Exploration: How Increasing Science Capabilities gaveNew View of the Moon with Jim Head

Exit from the Heliosphere:The Odyssey of Voyagers 1&2 Interstellar Missions with Stamatios Krimigis

Weight-Watching from Space – Tracking Changes in Earth’s Surface Water GRACE-FO with Felix Landerer

Observing our Magnetic World: When Theory Follows Space Measurements with Mioara Mandea

SMOS, Soil Moisture and Sea Surface Salinity with Yann Kerr

CryoSat – A Decade of Polar Altimetry with Andrew Shepherd

From Satellite Observations and Atmospheric Modeling to Air Quality Forecasts with Guy Brasseur

How TOPEX and Jason Satellites Revolutionized Oceanography and Redefined Climate Science Josh Willis

Herschel – A Cool Mission Unveiling the Cold Universe with Göran Pilbratt

XMM-Newton – New Visions of the X-ray Universe with Arvind Parmar

CoRoT - The First Transiting Exoplanets from Space with Magali Deleuil

Planck – From the Early Universe to Our Local Environment with Jan Tauber

The Hubble Space Telescope: From Cosmological Conflict to Alien Atmospheres with Tom Brown

Gaia – The Dynamic Sky in 3D with Anthony Brown

INTEGRAL – The Extreme Universe with Enrico Bozzo

Ulysses: A New Perspective from High Latitudes with Rudolf von Steiger

Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission: How Magnetic Field Lines around Earth Break and Reconnect with Rumi Nakamura

Dawn to Vesta and Ceres with Carol Raymond

The Sun from SOHO, and First Glimpses of Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter with Daniel Müller

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