Planetary lens
supported referenceAstronomical
A hemisphere-scale season framed by Earth–Sun geometry and an equinox.
OpenVIS-0195 · natural-visual field universe
Spring is a transition, not a switch.
Spring Universe connects planetary season geometry, biological timing, local observation, temporary habitats, and the many ways people represent seasonal change. It is built to help visitors ask a better question than “when does spring start?”: which spring signal, at what scale, supported by what evidence?
Source boundary: the canonical VIS-0195 record supplied the title Spring but no description. The thesis, structure, explanations, and tools in this universe are newly authored ICU editorial elaboration, with factual claims tied to the source ledger.
Orientation
Four springs can coexist.
Astronomical, meteorological, biological, and observed-local definitions answer different questions. The universe keeps them comparable without pretending they are interchangeable.
Climate lens
supported referenceMeteorological
A fixed calendar grouping useful for climate statistics and consistent seasonal summaries.
OpenLiving-systems lens
modeledPhenological
A sequence of biological events such as leaf-out and bloom; some products model these from temperature conditions.
OpenField lens
observedObserved local
A dated field observation tied to a specific organism, habitat, place, and time.
OpenFlagship systems
Explore, compare, observe, represent.
Each flagship uses the same evidence vocabulary so visitors can move between visual exploration and analytical work without losing provenance.
Explore
Spring: Field Atlas
Filter a compact atlas of seasonal signals by domain, scale, and evidence posture.
OpenInspect
Scale & Structure Explorer
Move from bud-scale change to organism, habitat, region, and planetary season geometry.
OpenCompare
Variation Comparator
Put different definitions of spring side by side and expose where their scopes diverge.
OpenInteract
Observation Lab
Keep your own browser-local field notes while separating observation from interpretation.
OpenRepresent
Representation Gallery
See how field notes, scientific illustration, modeled maps, and seasonal art communicate different things.
OpenPrototype
Prototype Studio
Generate and test a Spring Signal Lens brief with explicit assumptions and success/failure criteria.
OpenScope
What this release does — and does not — claim.
It explains spring through a deliberately small set of institutional references and clearly marked editorial synthesis. It does not provide live local “spring now” conditions, precise bloom forecasts, allergy advice, gardening prescriptions, or global ecological completeness. The Field Atlas is an explanatory atlas, not a live monitoring product.
Model boundary: USA National Phenology Network · supported reference