Bluecadet is up for an Interactive Innovation Award at SXSW

Fishtown-based interactive design agency Bluecadet worked with NASA’s Goddard Visitor Center in Maryland to put enormous amounts of data at the fingertips of visitors.

The interactive tool, called Data Lens, lets visitors explore, compare and contrast millions of data points on the Earth’s climate, as sourced by NASA’s vast network of global sensors. The experience was nominated for best Visual Media Experience at the 21st annual Interactive Innovation Awards, happening March 13 at Austin megaconference SXSW.

“For us it’s an exciting nomination,” Bluecadet CEO Josh Goldblum told Technica.ly. “It’s one of the most competitive and discerning innovative awards shows.”

Super excited for this year’s @sxsw! Bluecadet’s NASA: Data Lens is a finalist for the Interactive Innovation Award 🏆🚀

See all the finalists here → https://t.co/MZhUA3SLq2 pic.twitter.com/mhksAzdKcw

— Bluecadet (@Bluecadet) February 9, 2018

Being able to collaborate with NASA, Goldblum said, was a lifetime dream for him and the 50-plus employees at the agency, which has a 10-person outpost in New York.

“It’s speaks well of Data Lens that it’s being recognized at SXSW,” Goldblum said. “For us the topic is really interesting: it’s really about how we know how the Earth works and how they handle climate science.”

Here’s what the interactive experience is like: