Climate Scope is a Google Earth mash-up tool developed by the Institute of Biometeorology (IBIMET CNR) to communicate the physical and social dimensions of climate change on global and local levels. The tool displays scientific climate and environmental themes available online in real-time views as well as local information from cities involved in the R.A.C.E.S EU LIFE project. Climate Scope was proposed for use in secondary school science education to present climate change as a global, current issue with different impacts. The goal is to enhance visual communication and encourage participation by allowing users to integrate climate and social data as "volunteered geographic information" producers.

1. CLIMATE SCOPE: a Google Earth® mash-up to communicate the physical and social
dimension of climate change
Alfonso Crisci1, Ramona Magno1, Valerio Capecchi2, Valentina Grasso1
1
Institute of Biometeorology, National Research Council. Via Giovanni Caproni 8, 50145 ,
Firenze, Italy. phone: + 39 055 3033701
2
LaMMa consortium - Laboratory for Meteorology and Enviromental modelling - CNR Regione
Toscana . Via Madonna del Piano, 10, 50019 Sesto F.no, Florence, Italy, phone: + 39 055 4483045
A Google Earth engine tool based on Thematic Mapping API® library, Climate Scope, has been
developed for educational purpose inside R.A.C.E.S EU LIFE project - Raising Awareness on
Climate and Energy Savings. The operative goal of the initiative, leaded by Institute of
Biometeorology (IBIMET CNR) is to use a powerful geographic environment to communicate the
physical and social dimension of climate change, the global and local level, inviting the project
participants to became information producer. The Google Earth mash-up inside the project’s web
pages shows scientific climatic and environmental global themes, available on the internet and often
in real time view, and local information from the cities involved in the project. Climate Scope was
proposed also to teachers of secondary school (14-19 years’old students) to be used for science
education as a powerful tool capable to present climate change as global, real, happening now, with
different impacts on natural and social environments. Climate Scope was conceived to enhance
visual communication and to propose a participative approach that use the geo-environment as the
cognitive frame to share the issues of climate change. A true invitation to users to became
“observer, researcher and producer” of local information integrating climatic data with social ones
and publish it quickly. Geo Web 2.0 application offer great opportunities to strengthen the
collaboration between scientist and students who became “volunteered geographic information”
producers.
Keywords: temporal, climate change, Google Earth, education, communication