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INSPECTING THE BLUE DOT: GOALS, METHODS AND DEVELOPMENTS OF
THE PROJECT ‚COLUMBUS EYE‘
A. Rienow, V. Graw, S. Heinemann, J. Schultz, F. Selg, G. Menz, Department of Geography,
University of Bonn, 53115, Bonn
Abstract
In the 1990s, a photo taken by the probe Voyager within a distance of 6 billion kilometers depicted
the Earth as a small island located right in the middle of an infinite black ocean. A ‘Blue Marble’
turned into a ‘Pale Blue Dot’ and initiated a public discourse about a sustainable handling of our
resources. ‘Blue Dot – Shaping the Future’ became the title of the mission of Alexander Gerst. From
May 28 to November 10, 2014 the ESA Astronaut fascinated the German public with his live-
impressions from the International Space Station (ISS). Simultaneously, NASA launched the High
Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) payload to the International Space Station (ISS). HDEV consists of
four commercially available high definition cameras. Mounted on the ESA Columbus module, the
cameras cover three different perspectives: aft, forward, and nadir view. The only European partner
of the HDEV experiment and exclusively in charge of filing the fascinating footage is the German
project ‘Columbus Eye – Live-Imagery from the ISS in Schools’. Columbus Eye is carried out at the
University of Bonn and sponsored by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Space Administration
with funds from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). It aims to develop
educational material based on the earth observing imagery from the ISS and has published a
learning portal on HDEV (www.columbuseye.uni-bonn.de). Accordingly, this paper presents the
educational valorization of the HDEV footage for teachers and pupils. Insights into the process
chain of recording, enhancing, storing, and finally publishing the HDEV videos are given.
Furthermore, it is explained how the measurable world behind those colorful images and videos
taken from space can act as illustrative teaching resources for courses in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics, known as the STEM subjects. Here, pupils are to learn about the
benefits of spaceflight and earth observation for society and the environment, while at the same
time discovering the uniqueness and vulnerability of our planet. This paper addresses the question
of how earth observation can be harmonized with the everyday school curricula in the light of
problem-based learning. Hence, witnessing geospatial analyses turns experience into real
understanding.
1. THE EYE OF COLUMBUS – HIGH
DEFINITION EARTH VIEWING FROM THE ISS
1.1 Four Cameras, three perspectives
From May 28 to November 10, 2014 the
German ESA Astronaut Alexander Gerst
fascinated the public with his live-impressions
from the International Space Station (ISS) [1].
Simultaneously, a dragon spacecraft of the
American company SpaceX delivered a platform
containing four commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)
cameras to the International Space Station (ISS)
in April 2014. Subsequently, the Canadian
robotic arm mounted the platform on the
Columbus External Payload Adapter (CEPA) of
the ESA Columbus Laboratory. This automated
process was carried out for the first time in the
ISS program [2]. Once installed, the main
purposes of the HDEV experiment conducted
by NASA are to test the robotic installation of
external payloads and to examine the suitability
of COTS HD cameras for upcoming space
missions to the Moon and to Mars. Hence, the
cameras of the Japanese companies
Panasonic
©
, Sony
©
, Hitachi
©
und Toshiba
©
are
exposed to the extraterrestrial radiation. The
first two cameras are installed parallel.
According to that, earth observation of the ISS
is conducted in three perspectives: aft, forward,
and nadir view (Fig. 1). The earth observation
characteristics are subsequently given [3]:
TABLE 1. Earth observation characteristics of
HDEV as an external payload on the ISS
General
conditions
Nadir view
~400 km altitude
~ 530 km swath
flexible attitude
and yaw
~ 500 m spatial
resolution
90 days similar
exposure repetition
flexible temporal
resolution
between 180
minutes and 3
days including loss
of signal times
(LOS) and night
times
automatic
shuttering
spectral resolution:
1 CMOS sensor,
visible spectrum
(390-750nm)
Usually, the cameras are part of a cycle where
every camera is subsequently switched on [4].
The video stream is not filed during recording.
Instead, the data is directly transmitted via the
TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite) System
to its ground segment in White Sands (New
Mexico, USA) and redirected to the POIC
FIGURE 1. Cameras and views of the HDEV
experiment (Source: NASA)
(Payload Operations Integration Center) at the
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville
(Alabama, USA). While the data stream itself is
archived at the POIC and published via the
Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston (Texas,
USA) as an online live stream, an immediate
usable archive of the HDEV experiment is
neither available at POIC nor JSC. This is where
Columbus Eye comes into play.
1.2 Recorded in Space, Filed in Germany,
Published to the Internet
Since October 2013, the Remote Sensing
Research Group (RSRG) at the Department of
Geography at the University of Bonn is carrying
out the educational project ‘Columbus Eye –
Live Videos from the ISS in Schools’. It is based
on a collaboration deal between the German
Aerospace Center (DLR) and NASA and
sponsored by the DLR Space Administration
with funds from the Federal Ministry of
Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). A
permanent data exchange link between the
POIC and the RSRG was established using the
NASA Telescience Resource Kit (TReK). The
scientific payload data stream of HDEV is
received via the TReK bridge and converted into
usable mp4-format by the use of the HDEV Raw
Video Redirector [5]. In order to manage the
large amount of data, the original videos are
divided into hourly segments and finally stored.
The downlink is already established, the uplink
ensuring the commanding of the cameras from
Germany is currently under development [6].
The HDEV archive in Bonn covers all
downloaded videos since 23
rd
September 2014
with a current data volume of more than 10
terabytes. While the converted videos are filed
continuously, the project selects some
‘highlights’ out of the HDEV experiment which
are published online. As the HDEV live stream
they are freely available at
www.columbuseye.uni-bonn.de. The detection
of meaningful highlights is conducted by
geographic students.
FIGURE 2. Typhoon Maysak recorded with HDEV
forward view on 3/31/2015 (Source: NASA)
They are also responsible for geocoding the
videos. Due to the fact that stamps of LOS times
are not stored in the video file, the hourly
streams do not provide exact temporal
information. Hence, it is complicated to allocate
the recorded content. Daily updated two-line
element (TLE) sets are introduced into the AGI
Systems Tool Kit (STK) in order to generate
corresponding shapefiles which contain the
geographic information. Afterwards, an
atmospheric correction is conducted. Due to
the resolution and atmospheric scattering it is
difficult to detect land surfaces such as urban
structures or agricultural land use. Removing
scattering effects, especially Rayleigh and Mie
scattering, improves the quality of the HDEV
videos as a kind of remotely sensed imagery a
lot [7]. Further improvements can be achieved
by adjusting contrast and intensity values of the
image. The enhancement is performed with
MATLAB. In the future, GPU (graphics
processing unit) enabled algorithms will be
applied to perform the computer intensive
calculations on a NvidiaTesla K80 GPU which
has a peak double precision floating point
performance of 2.91 Tflops and a peak single
precision floating point performance of 8.74
Tflops [8]. Selected video highlights are cut
while their frame rate is reduced to 30 frames
per second. In order to ensure user-optimized
access, the videos can be downloaded in HD
(1280 x 720 pixels) and reduced frame sized
(720 x 480 pixels). In addition to a stylized map,
a brief report is provided for every highlight
describing the phenomena as well as the
trajectory of the ISS. So far, impressive videos
showing the Sun and the Moon rising but also
areas that are difficult to access, weather events,
or probes approaching the space station are
part of the Columbus Eye highlights archive
(Fig. 2).
2. TEACHING STEM WITH EARTH
OBSERVATION FROM THE ISS
2.1 Didactical Background: Do and you
understand
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I
do and I understand" (Confucius)
In our modern information society, earth
observation is a key technology in aerospace
industry and bears increasing economic
relevance. New sensors are developed
constantly (recent examples are Sentinel-2 &
EnMAP), and the demand for skilled labor is
growing steadily [9]. However, the knowledge
about earth observation techniques and
products is not widespread. A study revealed
that a majority of German pupils does not even
know that Google Earth is based on satellite
images [10]. Although teachers are interested in
implementing the topic of earth observation in
their classes, the encouragement fails because
of confusing, difficult, or ineffective didactical
preparation of respective information [11].
Here, the HDEV mission provides an
opportunity to combine both: the fascination of
space travels with the fascination of observing
our Earth from above. In order to avoid an ‘art
for art’s sake’, the comprehensive portal informs
and fascinates with views and highlights of the
blue planet but also enables pupils to interact
with the HDEV footage. These stages are
conducted with teaching materials provided in
the Columbus Eye portal. These materials
including interactive tools are based on a
technical and didactical paradigm developed in
the project ‘Remote Sensing in School Lessons’
(FIS) since 2007 [12]. The above mentioned
modified quote by the Chinese philosopher
Confucius mirrors its didactical background. In
the course of school education, imparting
media literacy to pupils is regarded as a main
educational task. Within this field, the successful
and effective handling of ‘new media’ is of
paramount importance [13]. Hence, the
pedagogical background of the Columbus Eye
observatory is linked to problem based learning
theories and skills-oriented teaching. Using
digital interactive learning tools a wide range of
earth observation techniques can be integrated
in regular lessons in a sustainable manner.
Working directives and background information
form a structure in which the needed image
analysis function is annexed or directly
embedded. In doing so, the material can be
used in lessons that are mainly based on self
reliant learning and are lead only to a low
extent by the teacher without any instruction.
Cross-linked thinking is one of the underlying
paradigms of the learning applications
produced in the project. Consequently, the
subject matter will be discussed in different
classes. The basic principles of earth
observation are covered in the natural sciences,
such as math, physics or computer science,
while in the more applied sciences, like
geography or biology, HDEV data is analyzed to
answer a specific research question.
FIGURE 3. Concept of Columbus Eye teaching
materials
Figure 3 presents the three kinds of Columbus
Eye teaching materials. They orient at regular
school curricular and can be differentiated by
their degree of interactivity and intensity of
media application. Thus, the simplest teaching
materials of Columbus Eye are worksheets.
Besides, background information on earth
observation and on the specific topic these
contain simple tasks considering the pupils’
level of knowledge. HDEV footage is used as
visualization possibility where e.g. the pupils
apply a swipe containing an original and
processed HDEV image in order to learn about
the influences of Mie and Rayleigh scattering.
Again, teachers are provided with a short
didactical commentary. It comprises an
overview of the learning goals, covered topics,
and applied media. Additionally, they provide
exemplary plans of how to structure the lesson
and sample solutions.
The second type of teaching material is the so-
called ‘observatory’ described in more detail in
Chapter 2.2. The third and most complex type in
terms of interactivity and media application are
whole teaching modules. It is currently
developed according to the principles of the
moderate constructivism [14]. Hence, the
learning process of those teaching modules
requires a high degree of self-organization and
responsibility. The basic structure of the
learning module consists of three chapters.
Each chapter has a clear aim and guideline for
the learner including background information
and tasks. Moreover, each chapter concludes
with a quiz. A first very short chapter introduces
the main problem to be solved in the course of
the subsequent chapters. The second one deals
with the specific curricular topic and provides
the necessary background information. The
centre of the third chapter is an ‘analysis tool’,
similar to common software used for spatial
analysis [15]. The first example dealing with
statistical-based image processing will be
published soon. Here, the initial problem is that
a noisy HDEV image needs to be enhanced by
using image filtering methods. Accordingly, in
the first chapter pupils learn about the role of
the arithmetic mean in statistics and apply it in
the next part of the module. In doing so, they
learn a basic mathematic topic in a vivid
manner.
2.2 Columbus Eye Observatory: Regions and
Phenomena inspected from the ISS
The observatory provides educational material
for pupils of different grades based on images
taken from the ISS. Videos of ISS flights over
different regions are transformed into one large
panorama shot and build the basis for tools,
enabling teachers and pupils to gain knowledge
on the classification of raster images.
Additionally, they can use the geographic
information provided in the tools for further
teaching and learning activities by exploring the
areas shown in the ISS panorama and deepen
certain topics optional to the teacher. Currently
the observatory comprises of three regions:
‘West Africa – Crossing the Biggest Desert on
earth’, ‘South America – Coast to Coast’, and
‘Canada – Snow, Ice and Sea’. ‘West Africa’ e.g.
provides multiple surfaces ranging from sea and
desert areas in the northwest to savanna
regions and the tropical rainforest with dense
cloud cover when ‘scrolling’ southeast. Here,
the variety of surfaces leads to possible in-
depth discussion on different climatic zones.
Moreover there are always information points
to be found in the image which are divided into
two categories: regions and phenomena. With
their help more knowledge can be acquired on
e.g. Savanna ecosystems in West Africa, insights
in tectonics and topography in South America,
or the geography and life in cold regions in
‘Canada’.
The integrated spatial analysis of the
observatory tools is a do-it-yourself
classification. In order to handle the manifold
information of earth observation data, a land-
cover classification can transform the
complexity of spatial imagery into a simple
land-cover map showing the most important
patterns at a glance. The pupils are able to
classify the ISS image by creating own training
samples. The classification is based on the
minimum distance classification [16]. The tools
are developed as online tools where pupils can
directly create training areas sharing spectral
similarities, label them and apply an own color
scheme. Hence, color information is related to
semantic information in order to construct
‘subjective’ spatial conception based on
‘objective’ data (Figure 4). From the evidence of
their own eyes and by virtue of their own
analyses, the pupils can see how deceptive
images from space can appear, and how
complex their evaluation can be. At the same
time, working with those images from the ISS
orbit demonstrates the ability of earth
observation techniques and the massive human
interference affecting our environment [17].
FIGURE 4. Screenshot showing the classification
process for ‘South America – Coast to Coast’
The online tools provide downloadable work
sheets with tasks and background information
for pupils, as well as sample solutions and a full
accompanying didactic commentary for
teachers. As contrasted with the Columbus Eye
work sheets, the didactic commentary of the
observatory tools and the teaching modules are
extended and include overviews how the
specific teaching unit meets certain curricular
topics of the sixteen federal states of Germany.
Whereas the Columbus Eye portal forms the
backbone of the project another important
pillar is represented by ongoing visits to
German Schools. They link the Columbus Eye
developments and the mission of Alexander
Gerst. Three kinds of visits can be differentiated:
lecture hall presentations; class room visits;
teacher education events. One special event
included an exclusive radio call to Alexander
Gerst on the ISS. While the pupils were asking
their questions dealing with living and working
in space, Columbus Eye streamed HDEV live
videos, so that the call from the ground was
instantly accompanied by imagery from above.
However, the main target group are pupils aged
14-18 in Geography classes. The school visits
are performed by two researchers of the project
and take about two hours. In the beginning, an
interactive, multi-media presentation introduces
the ISS and the expedition of Alexander Gerst.
In short movies, Gerst himself explains
experiments dealing with microgravity in a
child-oriented way. His mission ‘Blue Dot’ and
his view on Earth establish the link between the
topic of earth observation and the HDEV
experiment. Afterwards, the pupils are asked to
apply the Columbus Eye learning tools and
answer some questions related to the Earth’s
surface, e.g. to calculate the snow mass of the
Andes. So far, more than 1,000 pupils and 70
teachers were approached directly. The lessons
based on HDEV have also been aired on TV and
radio, so that a wide, interested public was
addressed [18,19]. Again, the visits of the
Columbus Eye portal and its observatory are
reaching a number of 11,000.
3. CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK
If the actions and goals of Columbus Eye are
condensed, two catchwords emerge: extensive
dissemination and selective intensification. The
HDEV footage is integrated into the Columbus
Eye learning portal (www.columbuseye.uni-
bonn.de) containing a live stream of the ISS, a
web GIS where the HDEV footage is archived
and openly accessible, and a section with
teaching materials comprising the interactive
learning material on HDEV. The first feedbacks
of professionals in the field of secondary
education are promising and have already
initiated ideas for future developments of the
project:
„… I think, I have gained new impulses for
my teaching. The programs you develop
can be integrated easily into teaching and
also encourage pupils to reflect on the
topics at home.” (Elke K., teacher)
„My pupils have talked excitedly about
the landing today. You have made a big
impression on my protégés!” (Svenja R.,
teacher)
However, the experience with the application of
the Columbus Eye observatory tools in classes
showed that, at first sight, pupils took the result
for granted. Instead of questioning the fact that
e.g. clouds may be classified as bare soils
erroneously, they needed the added area extent
and the swipe function to critically assess their
results. The critical reflection is meaningful to
foster competences in the field of spatial
orientation and the pupils’ usage maps as
implicated in the national education standards
[20].
As a next step, the advanced education of
teachers will be a way to sensitize them for
multimedia earth observation as a possibility to
mediate regular curricular topics. Thus, the
implementation of earth observation in STEM
subjects is facilitated and pushed beyond their
application as a mere illustrative teaching
element exclusively in geography lessons.
Again, those teacher workshops may also
multiply the recipients and spread the
knowledge of earth observation from space in a
sustainable fashion.
In the near future, the topics of the Columbus
Eye teaching materials should be further
extended and additional information such as
the size of a hurricane or the name of a
geographical location will be directly integrated
into the ISS videos. Additionally, pictures, maps
or even another video which is shown in split
screen will be added. Later one, the route of
implementing e-learning will lead the project to
mobile learning and the exploration of
applicable 3D videos. In doing so, the pupils
experience a new and unfamiliar dynamical
astronaut’s-eye view, but also the value of earth
observation and space technologies to monitor
ongoing processes of coupled human-
environment systems directing the Future Earth
future.
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