Urban Mixing Installation

The Fenton Five built an installation to demonstrate the Urban Mixing Toolkit. A map showing the Performance Score for each data collection point was projected onto a hung piece of perspex, on to which where attached a series of sections, depicting the route.

The six weightings for each thematic indicator could be changed as part of ongoing a debate, encouraging discussion about how importantly each theme is valued.

The Toolkit was also marketed as a product, with a CD, booklet and quick start guide.

A control pad was custom built to control the scores.

The installation marked the end of the project and the collaboration between the different members of the Fenton Five who now undertaking their own, individual projects.

A few supplementary points added to survey of tick sheets

Physical, practical and psychological aspects must be thoroughly treated and then enhanced with valuable layers through work on city qualities (both visual and pragmatic), which can root people in the space-----means city space perform well.

Physical:
(1)Safe
Street light;
CCTV;
Separated road of different functions or shared road;
Pedestrian’s priority (continuity of the pavement);
Consideration for bicyclist;
Warning boards and signs;
Window light at night;
Gate and fence;
Transition from public to private (semiprivate space for interaction);Car-free areas (St linked to the main road of Victoria Rd);

(2)Green
Gasoline used (number of cars);
Climate: humidity/wind chill (low buildings and trees alongside can reduce the strength
of wind)/solar heat/average temperature;
Lighting;
Litter bins distribution;
Bus station (How large is area that a bus station need cover?);
Plantations;

Practical:
(3)Healthy
Sedentary and moving activities;
Exercise space;
Noise;
Sunlight;
Proportion of walking/bicycling/public transportation/private car;
Pollution;
Proportion of the road-----traffic lane, bicyclist, pedestrianism (room for walking);

(4)Wealthy
Infrastructure, for examples: bench, plants, bollard;
Varied materials for city’s visualization;
Proportion of necessary activities and optional (recreational) activities;

Psychological:
(5)Sense of Communities
Average size of household, number of residents per hectare;
Community bulletins and boards and signs;
Advertisements for the public community area or infrastructures;
Communication among people on the public space;
The frequency of varied facades in the length of the road;
Human scale or traffic scale;
Street furniture that provides ”talkscapes”;
Unhindered sightlines;

(6)Learning
Artistic display (installations and temporary works for children learning);
Schools;
Educational institutions, for examples: exhibition, art gallery, theatre;

The Robot Launch

The Fenton Five this week has made a great effort to fabricate the intellectual robot (from LEGO Mindstorms) and try to figure out how it works. We have already inserted some basic programs in the robot to make trials and experiments, which turned out to be interesting. These could help us with the data collection and methodology verification later in our research and study.

Handheld Devices

Amongst the group this week there has been a lot of discussion about handheld devices and how these are used to communicate and perceive space. I thought it would be interesting to share a few lines from the [Re_Map]ICU Reader that I felt were particularly pertinent to this and what was being discussed amongst the group.

"With the increasing prevalence of handheld devices, such as highly advanced or 'smart' mobile phones and PDAs, the nature in which we engage with urban space is perhaps witnessing the most significant transformation since the development of the automobile. This is the experiential shift in the shape of the city and like the motorcar before it will only incrementally and subtly migrate us from familiar physical conditions."

The extract is taken from the Outro (page 232) of Richard Brook and Nick Dunn's new book "Urban Maps: Instruments of Narrative and Interpretation in the City" (Farnham: Ashgate, 2011). These new pieces of technology are already challenging the way in which people interact with the city, you only need to think about how many people walk down the street, typing away or browsing the web (the author of this post included).

The 'Tricorder' in Star Trek was a multifunctional handheld device
primarily used for sensor scanning, data collection and data analysis.

In the near-future smart phones will be even more complex, being able to undertake a variety of functions that will further challenge the way in which people interact with their physical environment. Like the fictional 'Tricorders' in Star Trek individuals will be able to collect, interpret, interact with and feedback into masses of 'data' not only about their physical environment but digital environments, that traverse traditional notions of scale and proximity between objects.

FlowingData

FlowingData is a great website that provides an inspirational source of different data visualisation techniques and methods. It also provides guides on different ways of visualising data, tips on what works best and where and when to use them.

"FlowingData explores how designers, statisticians, and computer scientists are using data to understand ourselves better - mainly through data visualization" in an attempt to understand a diverse range of data flows.

This map showing proximity to McDonald's
restaurants in the UK is just one example of the
data visualised on the site. (Image: Flowing Data)

IBM THINK Exhibit

The IBM Think Exhibit is currently taking place at the Lincon Center in New York (September 23rd 2011 to October 23rd 2011) and combines "three unique experiences to engage visitors in a conversation about how we can improve the way we live and work."

A 123-foot digital wall is being used to visualize, in real time, live data being streamed from systems surrounding the exhibit. The data ranges from traffic on Broadway to solar energy to air quality. Inside the exhibit visitors are immersed in a digital environment, with 40 7-foot tall data screens that show them a 12-minute film: "A kaleidoscope of images and sound ... They are enveloped in a rich narrative about the pattern of progress, told through awe-inspiring stories of the past and present." Finally, at the conclusion of the film the 40 screens (or 'media panels') become interactive touchscreens.

IBM Think Exhibit Data Wall (Image: IBM Think Exhibit)

On the various mapping techniques being used the organisers have this to say:

"All the information we’re collecting becomes much more effective when it’s organized. We’ve used maps to organize data for millennia. Throughout history, maps have revealed patterns in what appeared to be chaos, inspired explorers, and guided development and innovation. Now, our maps are more powerful and insightful than ever. They’re dynamic, multi-dimensional, and collaborative. Today’s mapping platforms give us the ability to organize and express information about any facet from every perspective—in real time."

All of the information (the data) being collected is being used to inform models to predict future behaviour, from physical prototypes to mathematical calculations. New tools are reducing the risk associated with these predictions: "Supercomputers, analytics software, and networking technologies allow us to simulate the behaviour and interactions of vast systems."