Research Assignment

When trying to understand the basics in using sandbox, I found understanding the fundamental concept of cause and effect vital in implementing flowgraphs. With both my experiments I struggled with how to convert my ideas into a flowgraph. It is something that I still struggle with, but from these two experiments I've learnt the importance in understanding the cause and effect concept in the form of using triggers. My aim was to create a tutorial that just covers using triggers, which can be applied and linked to numerous cases. In the tutorial I explain the basic uses of a proximity trigger and a time of day trigger.

"Gap of knowledge":

Though a simple and easy concept, using triggers in sandbox seems to be something that is somewhat overlooked/assumed in many tutorials I have seen. As a whole using triggers seems to be implemented in a specific, case by case sense, rather than a general broader topic which can be applied for uses in many circumstances. My tutorial is aimed at filling a gap between sandbox basics and advanced/specific flowgraph tutorials

Tutorial level:

The tutorial subject would be most useful for beginners who don't have a full understanding of the flowgraph. There is an assumed knowledge of the basic sandbox interface and a basic understanding of the flowgraph.

Exp 2

Model

Crysis Files

Video 3 - Glowing

Flowgraph for glowing

This flowgraph increments the amount an entity glows

Model

3 sections of the building which will glow differently according to time and reliant 

yellow - residential

blue - offices

red - entertainment

Analytics engine - Brief

After much deliberation of what to do for my analytics engine I came up with the idea of an automatic lighting system for a multi-purpose high rise building.


The representation of data (natural light levels) could be linked to the time of day. The time of day could link with various lighting systems (of differing colours), representing the different functionalities (commercial, residential and entertainment) of spaces. 


The building would adapt to the received data accordingly (e.g. when natural light levels gets dark the time of day is night; the commercial lights dim, while the lighting representing entertainment would get brighter). I feel this idea accurately reflects the feed by dealing with light control, yet applies it to a broader use, reflecting the wider scope to implement this concept for industrial and commercial use in buildings.

InfoGraphics

Infographics are visual presentations of information that use the elements of design to display content. Infographics express complex messages to viewers in a way that enhances their comprehension. Images are often an extension of the content of a written article, but infographics convey a self-contained message or principle.

If a road sign has too much information on it, then it is difficult to read. Infographics compress and display this information in a visually pleasing way so that drivers don’t miss the message. Infographics communicate complex data quickly and clearly, and they are considered to be effective worldwide.

-InstantShift, http://www.instantshift.com/2011/03/25/what-are-infographics-and-why-are-they-important/ <31/10/2011>

very visually striking, a piece of informative art.

simple and easy to read, having a clear purpose and easy to understand.

http://joaogeraldes.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/21-infographics-seo-explained/

Taking a serious issue and explaining it in a day to day social situation, playful, visually stimulating.

http://www.mikewirthart.com/?p=130

Simplistic concept, relevant, 3D representation.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/14/monday-inspiration-data-visualization-and-infographics/

"Advertising Agencies are famously diverse. We have examined a few of their species and have drawn some arbitary conclusions".

tongue-in-cheek, gripping, informative? Fantastic!

http://www.coolinfographics.com/

Review for analytics engine

"How will your Analytics Engine allow a viewer to draw conclusions that would be difficult (or impossible) to reach by interrogating the data in its raw form?"

I'm not exactly certain how to move forward at this stage; I'm not certain as to how to interpret the frozen pachube feed and how to represent it. I'm wondering whether it is better to create the data myself and simply work with that at this stage (using realistic data trends). I'm leaning towards working with scale (making the size of room increase as there is more light in the room). This seems rather simplistic at this stage but with this in mind I can at least feel move forward and try to nut out exactly what I'm doing. 

Brief for analytics engine

So far, from what I can gather, with the analytics from my chosen pachube feed, I use the data collected to control an installation in crysis. The obvious thing to do is to use this data to represent light in the installation, triggering, say growth in an entity and therefore representing the data as a cause and effect scenario (in the same way the raw data is used). 

As yet I am yet to think of a good way of representing the data in a way which proves more useful than simply analysing the raw data.

Video 2 - Measuring Acceleration

With help from Vinh, I've created a flowgraph that measures and displays the average acceleration of the player over a period of period of 8 seconds.

Video 1 - Annotated XML Flowgraph

This flowgraph creates data that measures the distance (over a certain amount of time) between the player and an object. The data is stored in an external xml document, giving you the total distance covered over the time frame. 

S.W.O.T Analysis of Pachube Feed

I've chosen Arduino LightSensor Feed from Pachube, Arch1391.


"This feed displays light input data ranging from 0 to 1023, as collected by a light dependent resistor within an Arduino scheme. A high value currently represents low light intensity and a low value represents high intensity. these values are translated into an angle value from 0 to 90 degrees which forms the rotation of one or more servos.These servos power circular shutters which block circular openings in a facade system during periods of high daylight intensity, and un-block the openings during periods of low intensity. In this way, the facade is able to maintain soft natural internal lighting at all times."

S.W.O.T Analysis 

Strengths 

This idea is simple but is an innovative way to control lighting in a room. It is a simple, intuitive way of varying light levels without having to manually flick a switch. The amount the shutters move varies depending on light intensity and therefore allows for varying and incremental light levels in the room. The overall outcome means that the occupants of the room are experiencing an appropriate amount of light and therefore are comfortable in the space.

   

Weaknesses 

The obvious weakness would be if there was an obstruction covering the sensor and therefore producing inaccurate information to determine the positioning of the shutters. The idea of having a consistent level of lighting in a room may not be suitable for all activities or purposes for the room and consequently may need to be able to be switched off and/or used in conjunction with a manual lighting system.

Opportunities 

In public spaces (being used during daylight hours) I imagine this could be a useful way automatically controlling light levels. For spaces which need consistent lighting (day and night) and in the instance of dark days, I think this system would be further enhanced if the sensor was also attached to an artificial lighting system to ensure a consistent level of lighting at all times. The possibility of having different settings which adjust the scaling of the information to accommodate for a range of different purposes for the space would be another opportunity for this kind of technology.


Threat


The main threat I can see with using this feed is how common the theme of light is among the various feeds. I imagine it could, therefore be compared directly to many other analytics engines.

Final Video

Installation model

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=e80618dbbf3b2cd82fc52a5d9bb33055&prevstart=0

Crysis Files

http://www.gamefront.com/files/20765690/BENV2423_z3331009.zip

My Documentary

I've seen past documentaries for this assignment where I am unable to understand what is going on and probably miss the message completely. When developing my documentary I wanted there to be a clear link between my installation and the purpose of the documentary.

I've created a documentary very much based on an expository mode, where I've used images and clips of my installation to support the theme and purpose of the documentary, rather than the installation itself being the sole focus. I find this technique creates a stronger argument, with more focus on the themes involved and in-turn probably involves the viewer more and creates a greater emotional response. Overall I think the expository mode of documentary is a clearer way of representation when dealing with relatively unknown technologies (Crysis), ensuring that the main idea behind the documentary can be realised by a broader audience.

Thanks to help from jules, I've been able to implement a flow graph which causes the player to loose health at a slow rate between the hours of 6pm and 6am. I thought this was a condensed representative of the increased desire for heaters etc. in colder months, which correlates with the large increase of Co2 emissions.

The health decrease stops when the player is within range (10) of the heater, indicating that when the player is warm the player is happy and the dependence of humans on technologies to keep warm.   

My Installation so far..

I wanted the heater to clearly reflect the results and impacts of Co2 emissions represented in the feed.

I wanted the flame to get bigger, relative to distance, to reflect the cyclic and ongoing effects of carbon-based emissions and the exponential impacts on humanity caused as humans become increasingly reliant on these technologies. I used the "make entity taller as you get closer to it" flow graph from the lectures as a bases to make the flame of the heater increase as the player gets closer to it.

I also wanted the heater to injure the player to reflect the long-term results and impacts of being reliant on carbon based technologies. After doing some research I came across the nodes; EntitiesInRange and DamageActor and used them in the following flow graph. The Timer node checks (every 2 seconds) to see whether the Entity and the Player are within a certain range (2), if true, the DamageActor is triggered and deducts health from the player (sometimes resulting in death).

I am still working on a way to decrease health with a TimeOfDay trigger, to represent a reliance on technology at certain times of the year.

Model - Heater

After finding my new pachube feed, I began thinking of ways to represent the outputs of the Co2 sensor in an installation. I liked the concept of using fire as it ties in with the contradiction of safety and danger. With that in mind I decided to design a heater, it keeps you warm and safe, yet can be quite dangerous. It also represents one of the main causes of increased Co2 in cooler months.  

New Pachube Feed

University of New South Wales - Weather Tunnel (Perth) 

https://pachube.com/feeds/22587

Co2 levels over 3 months

I was doing some further research on Pachube to find a feed that would be more interesting and more appropriate to base my installation on. I came across this interesting feed on Co2 emissions in Perth and found it fascinating as over a three month period, the Co2 levels clearly increase (going into the colder months).

In regards to Pure War, this feed links to the concept of war between technology and environment, and in-turn people. The war being waged is the effect of Co2 emissions on the environment (global warming/climate change) caused by technology (electricity generation and consumption). I think this idea engages with the concept of an ongoing war; while humans are increasing Co2 levels, engaging with a war on the environment, the war of climate change is fighting back against it. This cyclic and ever increasing war is a clear example of Paul Virilio's concept of an invisible war between humanity and technology.
The upward trend in Co2 over the winter months (caused by woodfires, heaters etc.) could be clearly represented in an installation.

Size Relative to Distance

Customising Material

Glowing relative to distance

Pure War

When thinking about Paul Virilio's concept of Pure War, the invisible war waged by technology against humanity, I thinks it's quite interesting to also consider how both technology and humanity rely on each other. I created a simple representation in the form of two rings bridging a valley; though they clash and resist against each other, without one, the other would fall.

Pachube

When looking through the site I found lots of interesting looking feeds, but was generally disappointed by the lack of information/explanation about what the feeds were actually doing and the purpose of them. I found a couple that seemed a bit more informative, one being the Generator Shed, which monitors the electricity consumption of 6 houses, 2 large barns and several outbuildings on a farm located on 15 acres in Roque island, Archipeligo. It consists of a breakdown of energy consumption of the various buildings that make up the business.