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To enable the complete mapping of Mars, Karev created an open-source, web-based mapping interface, the Multi-Mission Geographic Information System (MMGIS). Preloaded with Martian images taken from orbit, an online demo of the software allows visitors to explore the tracks of the Perseverance, Ingenuity and Curiosity rovers, a sister Mars mission that landed in 2012.
The open nature of the software was key to the mission’s success: “There are people working on this mission literally all over the world, and we need to give them rapid access to the software and the data,” Karev said.
MMGIS aimed to help people understand the Martian landscape in its entirety. By combining imagery from orbit with imagery from Perseverance and Ingenuity, the JPL team is allowing researchers to zoom in to see individual rocks or zoom out to see Mars in its entirety. This diverse perspective gives the team a sense of scale and context, allowing them to properly understand the terrain around the Perseverance rover and how to best accomplish their science goals within the available terrain.
The impact of the tools the JPL team developed went beyond the Mars 2020 mission. The team wanted to develop the software to make it easier for other researchers to visualize data, even if they’re not data visualization experts. This open-source approach means other teams can now use MMGIS to create maps of Earth and other planets.
In keeping with this open philosophy, the images captured by Perseverance and Ingenuity during the Mars 2020 mission are being made available to the public free of charge. By sharing this data with the world, the mission’s results will be used to educate, inspire, and enable further research.
As Mars scientists look to the future, the Perseverance rover team is deploying more advanced tools using AI, and open science will pave the way for further exploration. JPL is currently working on designs for a future Mars helicopter that will be much more capable and complex than Ingenuity. Payload, range and affordability are their top priorities.
Existing open source tools can help address these concerns: not only are open source applications free to use, but they are often highly reliable due to the collaborative effort that goes into their creation and testing.
Ultimately, the JPL team sees their work as part of a cycle of open science, using open tools to make their jobs easier while also developing new features for those tools for others to use in the future. “Every mission contributes to other missions and future missions in terms of new tools and techniques to develop,” Calef says. “You’re not the only one working on something. Being able to share data between people enables more advanced science.”
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