Earth Explorer is a CD-ROM based product that sets the user off on an interactive tour of our planet, from the countless microorganisms that give us oxygen to breathe, to the abysses of the oceans where strange life forms thrive, to the human world that has been transforming the planet for thousands of years.
Earth Explorer covers it all - the science of climate and life, the history of human exploration and migration, the rise of technology, even the thoughts of artists and writers on our natural world.
Users will discover how life evolved from single-celled organisms billions of years ago to the countless species that exist today. Users will be able to examine the fascinating chemical processes that spell the difference between life and death. How do plants make their own food-and why is their food-making process vital to nearly all other life on earth? Users will learn how the oceans influence earth's climate-or even how the decay of organic material millions of years ago affects the air over Mexico City today.
But Earth Explorer goes deeper. It helps users think through how we'll solve today's environmental problems. Users will discover that pollution and overuse of the land re not modern "inventions." They plagued some of the earliest civilizations. So who's responsible for fixing the ozone hole? How can we preserve endangered species? What about population growth? Sort the facts from the fiction, the wishes from the reality. From wetlands protection to biodiversity to renewable energy, Earth Explorer lets users compare conflicting points of view and draw one's own conclusions.
Hundreds of richly illustrated articles make up the backbone of Earth Explorer. Almost 1,000 photographs and more than 400 original graphic art pieces-infographics-make complex ideas more clear. Explore Screens let users (literally!) play with the building blocks of basic environmental concepts. In Hot Topics games, users can listen to people's opinions on 21 controversial issues of the day-then decide which ones best support a particular point of view. (The solutions are not clear-cut, so users get a chance to score themselves on their reasoning and knowledge.) Users will also find Puzzlers-challenging questions that invite them to think logically or look at a subject in a new light.
In Data Sets, users view environmental data in different graphic combinations for their own analysis. Whether it's tracing the decline of the Blue Whale, estimating the population of Peru 2,000 years ago, or figuring out why some pollutants are getting better and while others are getting worse-users can find the numbers they need in a Data Set.
More than 90 minutes of Movies and Videos provide an added dimension of drama-a "you are there" feel to earth's people and places. One can see how the Pangea of 600 million years ago became the continents we know today. Users can walk with a naturalist on their daily adventures. They can listen to the poetry of Langston Hughes.
Earth Explorer includes other writers and artists as well, expressing their views on nature and the environment. Here users may find that "just right" quotation for a report, or a piece of fine art that is a springboard to a new thought.
There's much, much more. Laws and treaties, and what they mean. Biographies. Careers that can make a difference. For all its wealth of information and activities, Earth Explorer is easy to use. It's all cross-linked. Users can go anywhere, from anywhere. Users will master it in a flash, making endless discoveries.
Earth Explorer features:
- 433 In-Depth Articles
- 21 Hot Topic Interactive Activities
- 21 Datasets
- 12 Exploration Activities
- 165 quotes
- 406 info graphics
- More than 1200 Color Photographs
- More than 90 minutes of audio-visual presentations including slide shows,
QuickTime movies, animation's and audio clips
- Colorful and Easy-To-Read Charts and Graphs
- Data Verified by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Printable Student Notebook
- Includes Case Studies
- Interactive Activities
- Teachers' Materials including Guide Book, Lesson Plans, and Worksheets
(School Version)
Article Change History:
28 Jun 1995 - Lowered security now that product is released.
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