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.