Implementation of the science on a Sphere Visualization System as a web application

Anžič, Jurij (author), Bohak, Ciril (author)

SOS is a visualization system originally developed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to project dynamic global datasets onto a spherical display, enabling audiences to explore complex Earth system processes in an intuitive and immersive way. While highly efective in museums, science centers, and classrooms, the traditional Science on a Sphere (SoS) hardware installation requires dedicated infrastructure, limiting its accessibility and scalability. This paper presents the design and implementation of a web-based application that reproduces the core functionality of the Science on a Sphere (SoS) system in a browser environment. The application utilizes modern web technologies to render real-time spherical visualizations of global datasets. Users can load, manipulate, and interact with datasets such as atmospheric phenomena, ocean currents, or planetary imagery without the need for specialized hardware. The system also supports interactive controls for rotating, zooming, and overlaying multiple data layers, extending the pedagogical potential of Science on a Sphere (SoS) by enabling personal exploration on laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. By transitioning Science on a Sphere (SoS) from a physical installation to a lightweight, browser-based platform, the proposed solution broadens access to scientific visualizations, promotes remote and classroom learning, and ensures that Science on a Sphere (SoS) content can be integrated into modern online education ecosystems.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Science on a Sphere, SOS, web-based visualization, WebGL, WebGPU, geospatial data, educational technology
• Work type: Other
• Typology: 1.08 - Published Scientific Conference Contribution
• Organization: FRI - Faculty of Computer and Information Science
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 40-49
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179304
• UDC: 004.9:621.395.44:159.942
• DOI: 10.26493/978-961-293-559-7.4
• COBISS.SI-ID: 267547395
• Publication date in RUL: 10.02.2026

Record is a part of a monograph

• Title: HCI SI Koper 2025 : proceedings of the 10th Human-Computer Interaction Slovenia Conference
• Place of publishing: Koper
• Publisher: University of Primorska Press
• Year: 2025
• ISBN: 978-961-293-559-7
• COBISS.SI-ID: 266380291
• Conference organizer: University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Koper, Slovenia

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: znanost na sferi, spletna vizualizacija, WebGL, WebGPU, geoprostorski podatki, izobraževalne tehnologije