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2009 Annual Design Review
Interactive
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Best of Category
WORLDWIDE
TELESCOPE
worldwidetelescope.org
“THIS IS NOT DESIGN for the sake of design,” Oxman said about Microsoft Research’s WorldWide Telescope. “This is design for the sake of science, and that never happens. If we as designers can create platforms not only for the public to use, enjoy, and engage with, but to learn about the world, and perhaps make observations that are as significant as scientific competition—that’s huge.”
WorldWide Telescope is a Windows-only desktop application that sews together terrabytes of visual data collected from the Hubble Telescope and other ground and space telescopes to create an astonishingly precise virtual map of the universe. Users can explore it thanks to the pan-and-zoom technology of Microsoft’s Visual Experience Engine and a user interface developed by Seattle-based firm Artefact. The interface consists of two navigation bands above and below your view of the sky. The top band lets you filter by image collection—shots from the Hubble, say—while the bottom one itemizes the specific galactic phenomena in the patch of sky you’re looking at. Mouse over one of these distant stars or nebulae in your navigation and it’s highlighted in the view. Each navigation item brings up a pop-up menu that allows you to search databases for additional information and download images. Artefact also built a feature to create guided tours (something not available in Google Sky, a similar product launched last year as an extension of Google Earth). Since the product’s release, tours have been created by a wide range of users, including professional astronauts, Wall-E director Andrew Stanton, and a precocious 6-year-old named Ben. Microsoft Research is still rolling out new features, like a Silverlight-supported cross-platform web client (with slightly less functionality) and stereoscopic viewing for stargazers who want to see space in 3-D.
Vondracek observed that, like the universe itself, WorldWide Telescope will continuously expand as new image data is captured and added, making it an increasingly significant repository of astronomical knowledge over time. “Aside from the ‘wow’ factor, it’s really able to grow,” he said. Oxman spoke for them both when she added, “I feel honored to give it a prize.”
Design Artefact (Seattle): Rob Girling, principal designer; Martijn Van Tilburg, senior design director;
Josh Hinds, David Folchi, Prarthana Panchal,
user experience designers. Microsoft Research (Redmond, CA): Curtis Wong, principal researcher; Jonathan Fay,
Dany Rouhana, software development engineers
Client Microsoft Research |
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