Gigapixel Cyberinfrastructure For Participatory Science Learning

匹兹堡大学校外环境学习中心、卡内基自然历史博物馆和卡内基梅隆大学机器人研究所正在建立一个开放式网络学习基础设施，该基础设施采用超高分辨率的千兆像素图像作为支持公众理解、参与和参与科学的工具。联网的千兆像素图像技术是一种信息和通信技术，它可以创建可缩放的图像，观众可以探索，共享和讨论。该技术提供了具有重要科学意义的视觉信息，其细节可以用于促进科学发现和教育。该项目的目的是通过开发一种机器人成像设备和在线服务，使非正式的科学教育工作者和科学家能够访问和使用千兆像素技术，以创建，存储和共享具有科学重要性的内容的十亿像素图像，这些图像可以进行视觉分析。项目人员正在开展设计活动、用户研究和形成性评价研究，以支持开发一个千兆级技术平台，用于演示和进一步原型制作。该项目以现有技术为基础并利用现有技术，向非正规科学教育组织提供千兆像素技术，以促进三类活动，促进公众参与性学习-公众了解科学活动;公众参与科学研究活动;这项工作的长期目标是：（1）创建一个可访问的千兆像素图像数据库，非正式的科学教育工作者可以使用该数据库来促进公众参与科学活动。科学家互动并促进参与性科学学习，（2）描述并展示网络千兆像素技术的可供性，以支持以社会为媒介、以科学为中心的网络学习体验，（3）了解千兆像素技术如何实现三种类型的学习科学家和公众围绕视觉数据进行互动，以及（4）传播描述千兆像素平台的设计、实施和评估的研究结果，以支持参与式科学学习。该项目的长期战略影响包括指导高分辨率图像的设计，以促进非正式和正式环境中的STEM学习，开发开放的教育资源和科学交流平台，并向非正式科学教育工作者介绍千兆像素图像在促进公众参与性科学学习方面的使用和有效性。

The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University are building an open access cyberlearning infrastructure that employs super high-resolution gigapixel images as a tool to support public understanding, participation, and engagement with science. Networked, gigapixel image technology is an information and communication technology that creates zoomable images that viewers can explore, share, and discuss. The technology presents visual information of scientifically important content in such detail that it can be used to promote both scientific discovery and education. The purpose of the project is to make gigapixel technology accessible and usable for informal science educators and scientists by developing a robotic imaging device and online services for the creation, storage, and sharing of billion-pixel images of scientifically important content that can be analyzed visually. Project personnel are conducting design activities, user studies, and formative evaluation studies to support the development of a gigapan technology platform for demonstration and further prototyping. The project builds on and leverages existing technologies to provide informal science education organizations use of gigapixel technology for the purpose of facilitating three types of activities that promote participatory learning by the public--Public Understanding of Science activities; Public Participation in Scientific Research activities; and Public Engagement in Science activities.The long-terms goals of the work are to (1) create an accessible database of gigapixel images that informal science educators can use to facilitate public-scientist interactions and promote participatory science learning, (2) characterize and demonstrate the affordances of networked gigapixel technologies to support socially-mediated, science-focused cyberlearning experiences, (3) generate knowledge about how gigapixel technology can enable three types of learning interactions between scientists and the public around visual data, and (4) disseminate findings that describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of the gigapixel platform to support participatory science learning. The project's long-term strategic impacts include guiding the design of high-resolution images for promoting STEM learning in both informal and formal settings, developing an open educational resource and science communication platform, and informing informal science educators about the use and effectiveness of gigapixel images in promoting participatory science learning by the public.