ENTER VERSION 03
"Sensity Loci"
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"Sensity Loci".
Visualizing the dynamic data around my district as an audio visual artwork. I have set up a wireless sensor network around my house in London. I live nearby a railway line, a factory, some trees and a mobile phone mast. (This is using real data). This is version three of this project.
The city is made up of bits of data that change. This artwork captures this change to try to understand the underlying fabric of city space. The artwork monitors the environment for change and relays these changes via the sensors.
Sensity is part of "The Emergent City" series of works by Stanza.
Artworks monitoring the interactive city.
(loci) 1 law an exact place or location, especially one where some incident has taken place.
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ENTER VERSION 04
"Sensity Globi "
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"Sensity Globi "
Sensity involves collecting data across the city of London which visualized to make art. The whole world is a dynamic real time artwork. The city data space becomes mirrored online and the environment becomes an emergent series generative artworks.
This is what it will look like when it is rolled out across the city wide environment. (This is a test using the same data as above). As all things becomes connected this will be rolled out to incorporate a system that senses not just the city but the whole world. Eventually sensors will be linked to give a real time global visualization. Public domain data resource for art and environmental monitoring.
I now have two versions of the Sensity interface software. One works with recorded data( ie archived data) and one that works with the real time data, which means the sensors ares switched on always. NOTE: The data changing is what affects what you see and experience.
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ENTER VERSION 05
"Sensity Sao Paulo" |
"Sensity Sao Paulo"
Motomix, Sao Paulo, Brazil. (27-11 / 04-12) 2007. Specially made Sao Paulo version. The exhibition is at Largo Senador Raul Cardoso, 207 , Sau Paulo Brazil.
Two versions will be made this online local version and a real time version once I have been to Sao Paulo to collect the data. Sensors data and sound recording will be taken while I am in Brazil.
I will take a small sensor kit with me and make an archived version from the area around the exhibition space. This road network is nearby.
If anyone want to helps collect the data and record some sounds with me in Sao Paulo. Get in touch.
The stream sounds version take sounds from Sao Paulo that are on my Soundcities.com database. You can add you own sounds and contribute to the project. The sounds change as the live sensor data changes.
Curated in Brazil by Fernando Velazquez.
Documenation of this exhibition coming soon.
05a _Stream Sounds Another version using realtime sounds.
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EXHIBITIONS
If you are interested in exhibiting this artwork at it develops please get in touch. I am available to visit your city to take data readings and make a piece of artwork.
A workshop is also under development.
Sensity can be shown in various ways.
You can also invite me to make a version in your city in which case I can bring the sensors with me, and make a visualisation of your environment.
Sensity can be shown as an installation ie, making a display based on the net based interfaces.
Sensity can also installed permanantly in rural or urban space, depending on your budget.
Contact: Stanza@sublime.net
TECHNICAL NOTE.
I now have another sensor kit with twenty nodes that can be placed up to 500 meteres apart.
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EXHIBITIONS OF SENSITY
Motomix, Sao Paulo, Brazil. (27-11 / 04-12) 2007. Specially made Sao Paulo version.
NIME New York City. USA. 2007.
Sensity project at Share IT in Italy 2007
Dislocate. Koiwa Art Space Tokyo Japan. 2007.
Urban media experience - audiovisual, mobile and network media in the production, consumption and experience of places;
Last update to this project 18.10.2007.
Stanza is supported by The AHRC Creative Fellowship. and is based at Goldmsiths college London. |
Sensity.
Sensity artworks are made from the data that is collected across the urban and environment infrastructure. A network of sensors, some fixed, and some embedded, collects data which is then published online. The sensors then interpret the micro-data of the interactive city. The output from the sensors displays the emotional state of the city online and the information will be used to create installations and sculptural artifacts.
These artworks made will represent the movement of people, pollution in the air, the vibrations and sounds of buildings, they are in effect emergent social sculptures visualizing the emotional state of the city. The sensor network can be moved from urban to rural setting and different types of visualization can be made depending on the environment. Sensity is an open social sculpture that informs the world and creates new meaningful experiences.
Sensity is a highly technical project that's will give vast amounts of information about the fabric of our cities. By embedding the sensors we can re-engage with the urban fabric and enable new artistic metaphors within city space. The sensors are positioned across the city. Custom software enables these sensors to communicate will one another in a network. The data can be used to create visualizations in an open source environment. Online users can also re- interpret the data and interrogate the various sensors in the network as eventuallt this will all be open sourced as well. Representations of these datasets will allow unique understanding of the urban environment and environment in real time.
Motes are used to collect the data. The 'motes' are tiny wireless sensor boards that gather data and communicate to the central server. The real world is monitored and the data stored in an archive retrieval system. Motes and sensor boards sense the micro incidents of change in the weather, the noise traffic flows and people flows. The interactions of all this data, controlled via interfaces that can re-form and re-contextualise experiences in real time.
Sensity incorporates the holistic city system, the movement of people, pollution in the air, the vibrations and sounds. The sense city is a city of, accumulated incidents of love, abuse and death. The micro incidents of change in the weather, the noise traffic flows and people flows. The archives of this data can be controlled via mixed up interfaces that can re-form and re-contextualise experiences in real time; to make emergent sculptures visualizations and sculptures.
The data is the medium.
Version (02) screen shots.
The Interactive City. New metaphors relevant to the experience of the city.
Various types of data can be re-imagined within the context of city space and the environment. This includes pollution data recorded via sensors in the street, to create audio acoustic files expressing the pain and suffering of the air as it pollutes. Weather and forecast data, acquired via weather station equipment; this can be used and can create ambient soundscapes and morphing visualizations as the wind shifts direction or the rain increases. Noise monitor levels, and noise maps , create a symphony of true urban sounds that can be used to make sound reactive sculptures. The patterns we make, the forces we weave, are all being networked into retrievable data structures that can be re-imagined and sourced for information. These patterns all disclose new ways of seeing the world. The value of information will be a new currency as power change. The central issue that will develop will be the privilege and access to these data sources.
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Datacities: The Emergent City.
Imagine walking out the door, and knowing every single action, movement, sound, micro movement, pulse, and thread of information is being tracked, monitored, stored, analysed, interpreted, and logged. The world we will live in seems to be a much bigger brother. We can use new technologies to imagine a world where we are liberated and empowered, where finally all of the technology becomes more than gimmick and starts to actually work for us.
My wireless sensor network visualize cities as 'worlds' full of data, a city ofo bits. These dataspaces can help us understand the fundamentals of our outside environment.
Two prototypes are being made one for a building and one for the space around the building ie the environment or city space.
Here is rough visualization (alpha) made from initial sensor data.
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Concepts
These new networks represent open social sculptures that can inform the world and create new meaningful experiences.
The micro incidents of change in the weather, the noise traffic flows and people flows. The technology can be used for logging the movement of people, pollution in the air, the vibrations and sounds of buildings to make emergent social sculptures. The interactions of all this data, controlled via visual interfaces re-forms and re-contextualise experiences of the city in real time.
The increase of technology infrastructure in the daily existence of a city means that technology will, more than ever be everywhere in our environment. Data mining will be part of the fabric of the landscape. Everything is or will be tracked. CCTV, car sensors, tracking inside our phones and id card movement tracking in the guise of anti- terror activity. The patterns we make, the forces we weave, are all being networked into retrievable data structures that can be re-imagined and sourced for information. These patterns all disclose new ways of seeing the world. The value of information will be a new currency as power change. The central issue that will develop will be the privilege and access to these data sources.
Gathering assets and making narrative for creating understanding. Translating what we gather into something we understand or at least into something we can experience.
For any group of users defined variables and fields of data need to be interrogated. Before this can happen cells or spaces where these assets reside need to be created. Once this happens one can in principal mediate the information to create artistic metaphors. To start, decisions about interface interaction can be mediated dependant only variable data. This will vary from data that the user can control to passively ie, generative data that runs and interprets various functions The objective is to create new ways of seeing in order to navigate and not just reinterpret other product concepts. It would also be worth bearing in mind that while these projects might well have fixed realizable outcomes they are all focused far into my future works which I envision as articulated responsive spaces.
Instead of adopting narrative threads from other media, I am interested in the currency that exists already in the city space. I am focused on the wider picture of city experiences which are being played out in real time. This sort of experience of multi nodes and multi threaded spaces, demands a refined gathering of data, a sensitive accumulation which can then lead to some kind of modelling and visualization. [audible and visual (mis)-representation] of the social network as it exists and is impacted upon.
There is a argument to opening up the level of control and responsibility given allows freedom within the system. Its a good argument until something changes ie, the passwords change, the building goes private, and every single piece of data is used for something that it wasn't intended for. Some things change for the better but sometimes they don't; one thing is for sure; things change.
Therefore I want to focus on the things that change, the flow, the data that describes our experience of the city as space; to focus on the understanding of emerging data networks.
Issues that arise in systems like this include the problem of standardization of data especially for the web addresses which share data.
I have been thinking about a sensor network using technology called motes. There are others available and indeed quite a number of competing technologies already in this area but this technology is interesting and may offer solutions for development and experimentation. I am at a stage where I am looking to deploy a wireless sensor network both for indoor and outdoor use incorporating this technology.
Data from all sides in systems that can be mediated by all, with varying visualizations possible communicated over the internet and represented onto display systems.
DISPLAY OUTPUTS
 
Other ways the sensity can be displayed. Here on a round globe display made by Pufferfish. tested at County Hall London.(above).Thanks to Puffferfish for allowing these tests. This is a real globe, ie a round display system.
A world full of data. Above image shows Sensity Loci on Pufferfish Display at County Hall 2006 .
The imposing 2m wide PufferSphere is highly mobile (easy to transport, set up and operate), extremely durable and provides a 360-degree viewing window ideal for engaging large, non-captive audiences. Sensity can be exhibited in a number of oways, on this display is one example. If you want to exhbit it on the Pufferfish display; the equipment will have to be hired. (Thanks to pufferfish for use of the equipment, for testing.)
 
  Photos from Sensity projected at Share IT in Italy 2007.
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Overview.
Thousands of motes can be deployed across the city for gathering data in wireless sensor networks. Used in large numbers they can communicate with one another via radio signals across the network. They can reconfigure themselves or self heal, so that the network stays stable. The data is funneled through a system to a point where it can then be interpreted. The motes themselves can be deployed every thirty metres depending on the frequency, and any number can be place in a network. A new mote in just developed allows nine hundred metres without line of sight, suitable for a city wide proposal.
Each mote can sense its own position, wake up and find its neighbour in the network. They have low energy use, but the life expectancy is determined by the battery. In the future it is imagined they will run on solar power. So the concept is to embed the city with thousands of motes to gather data for the creation of artistic artifacts.
The sensors can monitor temperature, sounds, light, position, acceleration, vibration, stress, weight, pressure, humidity, and gps. The sensors take a constant stream of data which is published onto an online environment where different interface can make representations of the XML and from this lots of artistic interpretations can be imagined.
The first version will be deployed at the Watershed Media Centre Bristol, as part of research into the intelligent building
The city experience
The city experience is a web of connected networks and multi layered threaded paths that condition us to the emotional state of the city space. In essence, the city fabric is a giant multi user multi data sphere. To take part you really have to put something back in, that's like life. In this case, to take part you have to input data so others 'may' see the output of the data response.
The city has a history of stories relative to time and place, stories from the street. Love stories personal and extreme, crime stories, stories that are small or that can affect global parameters. All of these spheres can be represented by media and therefore by data within the digital realm and becomes a data source so powerful so interwoven that its scale can only be imagined as metaphor. The size and scope of such an archive, of such rich mediated data experience would support many projects. As such it can be interpreted as history via one sort of interface or as a game via another sort of interface. A possible objective is to 'mediate' data into a conceptual artefact. With this perspective there are many unimagined threads of data and connections that describe our world that can be explored within which we can create artistic interpretations.
Noise and Sound Monitoring.
After walking around my local environment and making recordings it has become obvious that noise in the city is everywhere. I thought I lived in a fairly quite area. However, after making a series of walks and sounds recordings this has changed my perspective of where I live. The constant aeroplanes, and cars, the hum of trains and shouts of people. Even in the park, the trains, and garages making constant noises. The city space is an evolving composition of sounds that bombard us. So much so that where are harldy aware. The sounds of the city presents itself as noise but it is actually the language of the city space. The sounds of the city are the sounds of "urban music".
There are now hundred of sounds collected for 'sensity' in the soundcities.com database. The sounds are relayed as the sensor data changes in real time and trigger these outputs. The next development is to use synthesis to make a real time generative music based of the noise values of the city space.
Environment.
Light, Temperature, Sound, Noise, Pollution, GPS, Pressure, etc
see sample data set
VIEW XML example. London (2004)
Also now available live polling from the sensors network via XML format online.
http://igor.gold.ac.uk/motes/motestatusxml.php
<xml>
<mote>
<moteid>2</moteid>
<voltage>468</voltage>
<temp>489</temp>
<light>476</light>
<mic>192</mic>
<accel_x>74</accel_x>
<accel_y>53</accel_y>
<mag_x>780</mag_x>
<mag_y>780</mag_y>
</mote>
<mote>
<moteid>4</moteid>
<voltage>485</voltage>
<temp>492</temp>
<light>400</light>
<mic>199</mic>
<accel_x>77</accel_x>
<accel_y>75</accel_y>
<mag_x>781</mag_x>
<mag_y>783</mag_y>
</mote>
<mote>
<moteid>6</moteid>
<voltage>476</voltage>
<temp>482</temp>
<light>261</light>
<mic>193</mic>
<accel_x>3</accel_x>
<accel_y>4</accel_y>
<mag_x>782</mag_x>
<mag_y>782</mag_y>
</mote>
<mote>
<moteid>7</moteid>
<voltage>430</voltage>
<temp>484</temp>
<light>345</light>
<mic>192</mic>
<accel_x>154</accel_x>
<accel_y>161</accel_y>
<mag_x>803</mag_x>
<mag_y>803</mag_y>
</mote>
</xml>
Specific environments and urban networks can be monitored for changes in the micro climate and habitat of spaces and locations. This data can also be used for farming, crops, weather, etc. as well as art.
 
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Technology
The technology presently consists of Xbow's MICA2 motes and MICA2DOT motes. It uses an Atmel Atemega 128L processor running at 4 megahertz. It also has some flash memory to store the program. It consumes only 8 milliamps when it is running, in lower power mode it will run for more than a year. The trick is to write the program so the mote is asleep for most of the time therefore saving power. The mote can wake up for a few micro seconds and then sleep again for period of time. They have an a/d converter so the sensor data can be digitized. The software is written to control the mote is built on an OS called Tiny OS. The chips contain all the components found in a mote: a CPU, memory, and A/D converter for reading data and radio transmitter. Tiny OS is written is Nes C, a special programming language for motes developed at Berkeley.
There is a kit or suite of tools called task which consists of:-
TINY DB. Allows interaction with sensor network through declarative SQL interface.
TASK server. A server running on the gateway acts as a proxy for the sensor network on the internet via xml and interpreted by custom built software.
TASK DBMS. A relational database that stores sensor readings, sensor health, sensors locations, etc
TASK Client Tools. ie a deployment tool, configuration tool and visualization tool.
TASK Field tools. Allow pda for in the field diagnosis.
Issues
The main problems are the technological ones. The have limited processing, storage and communication bandwidth. They require new software and hardware design, they also require the system to be designed so that they easy to use. They also raise serious issues about privacy and security that will cross the collaborative borders and merge with legislative issues. ie how does one actually displace these in the real world.
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The Living City
Is the city truly emergent? Can the city be called an organism? If so what about the validity of the city experience in relation to its 'character' 'soul' of spirit'?. By collecting such data we monitor the urban landscape enabling us to see and understand the emotional city and its sensory behavior. In essence these smart networks will have data open to all, and not closed off spy surveillance oriented systems. The network will be an open social sculpture that can inform the world to create new meaningful experiences.
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Future Cities.
The hope is these motes will become so small they will become 'dust'. They are therefore being called 'smart' dust. This type of proactive embedded computing will be hidden inside the fabric of our lives and our environment. It will be inside the fabric of the real city creating a new emergent data city. The real world will become virtualized into an archive retrieval system using such a system. The emergent city is a sense city embedded with millions of computers to re-engage with the urban fabric and to enable new artistic metaphors within city space.
There are many types of recording devices in the city from cameras to mobile phones. I envisage the city of the future will start to build a system that will integrate this data into a sort of semantic city. A visualized flow city data experience will allow us to see 'the soul of the city'.
Output.
- through online environment for monitoring of data for open access. ( urban and rural).
- back into urban (or rural) spaces as projections/ installations.
- projected into fabric as smart sculpture or intelligent building
- data built into sensory sculpture that acts as environmental monitoring system
- through display systems as installations.
- can also be used for tracking and monitoring for surveillance space.
To Do.
- acquired and tested first versions small prototype and gathered some data (done)
- get some more sensors ie, 25 and set up small network that can be used as test bed. (done)
- create over the air programming, install on all motes. (done)
- collect data via xml and publish online, or develop semantic system for sensors interrogation . (needs tech support. done).
- figure a way to interpret this visually via the feeds in java or director and flash, will need consultation. (part done)
- develop JAVA processing based interface (needs support)
- create a proxy server to poll data off motes on real time ( done)
- create real time visualisations that work online from polled data, ie remake local versions to be global across neworks( done)
- create installation and sculpture ie, display the data. First make visualizations and then make a prototype. (Done first version.)
- research polymers and materials science as possible display.
- research leds as possible display.
- create /find partners and work towards city based dynamic artwork. (Meeting Aspex gallery and Plymouth and liasing with project partners.
Tech visualisation (all ongoing)
- resize to 1024 by 768-(done)
- makes sure buttons work on mac also (done)
- save this version (done)
- start new version (done)
- Put bubble effects on each sensor node reacting to values (done)
- zoom feature to zoom onto specific sensors. (done)
- move sensors and save new position.(done)
- important and save new background image. (done)
Sounds What's Can Be Done?
Simple flash engine
Director into flash sound engine
Java based sound engine...( anyone interested in helping with a java sound engine)
Archiving
xml saving and clearing cache
how to save xml in flash or pull from database and import previous version. ie replay data along timeline.
replay hour between this hour and that timeline
Tech Development Diary.
I am using MIB 500 as a gateway, plus Mica 2 processor boards at 900 htz with MTS 300 ca ( light / temp /acoustic boards)
Xmesh build for MTS 300CA is the same as for 310. Broadcasting on ttys6 which is com7. Trying to achieve true mesh architecture. Using Moteview 1.4 the baud rate is at 546000.
When programming base station make sure ATAP is unchecked. Mote config is buggy and often needs to be re-started. Also check system and exit active programs ie, XOTAP.exe then restart mote config.
Milestones in the tecnology development
A motereader software has been developmed. Its at version one and allows real time online gathering of the data off the sensors.
An xml formatting system has been developed that allows the data to be seen in real time online in XML format
A series of flash scripts have been developed that allows the real time integrated and visualisation of live data from the sensor network from anywahere in the world.
© stanza. 2004 .www.stanza.co.uk
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Funding
Funding needed for live integration with a number of environment and related projects that are coming out of this. If interested get in touch.
I have bought some motes and tech but this project needs support on all levels. Initial research was supported by Nesta and the Clarks Bursary.
I need funding for coding, more sensors, and hosting to build first version.
Research funding from 2006 - 2009 is supported by The AHRC Creative Fellowship.
Stanza is a fellow at The Goldsmiths Digital Studios, London.
Credits.
Sensity is a Stanza artwork under the Global Title of projects 'The Emergent City.'
Art, sounds, concepts, development, research, production, web images, by Stanza. For more information about me see visit.
Technology Credits.
Motes, programming, and technology set up 2004 2007 . Research hardware implementation Stanza.
Additional support.
Alphaand Beta Flash version support and coding with Adam Hoyle.
Hardware support troubleshooting with Nat Pryce from Imperial College.
Processing test version XML with support from Ben Gimpert. (Not used)
Hardware from Xbow in San Jose and Willow UK.
Tech support workshop with Xbow in Boston USA. Stanza 2004.
Incorporates XML and live feeds from www.soundcities.com database.
XML into flash support from Neil Jenkins
JAVA proxy and server trouble shooting. Eamonn Martin
Mentoring Support.
Professor Janis Jefferies.
Offering support in the contextual development of this project in relation to the visual arts.
Professor Michael Keith.
Offering support in the development of this project in relation urban studies.
Related Research. The Emergent City
© Copyright stanza 2004 -8 www.stanza.co.uk
About Stanza.
Stanza is a London based British artist who specializes in net art, networked spaces, installations and performances. His award winning online projects have been invited for exhibition in digital festivals around the world, and Stanza also travels extensively to present his net art, lecturing and giving performances of his audiovisual interactions. His works explore artistic and technical opportunities to enable new aesthetic perspectives, experiences and perceptions within context of architecture, data spaces and online environments.
Awards.
AHRC Creative fellowship 2006 - 2009
NESTA Dreamtime Award. 2004
Clark Digital Bursary. 2003
Future Physical Grant for Genomixer. 2002
D.T.I. Innovation Award. 1997
Prizes.
Videoformes Multimedia First prize France 2005,
Art In Motion V.First prize USA 2004,
Vidalife 6.0 first prize 2003,
Fififestival Grand Prize France 2003,
New Forms Net Art Prize Canada 2003,
Fluxus Online first prize Brasil 2002,
SeNef Online Grand Prix Korea 2002,
Links first prize Porto 2001,
Videobrasil Sao Paulo 2001 first prize,
Cynet art 2000 first prize, Dresden.
Introduction
Stanza's work crosses borders between artistic, technological and scientific sectors. Stanza creates participatory digital artworks that invite viewers to guide data flows or to simply observe self-generating compositions. His digital paintings shift through abstract and iconic patterns, which people can explore akin to virtual environments. Interactive and visually appealing, his style also maintains the substantive power through multi-facetted content. This artist has won international praise and awards for his new media works that invite collaboration.
Stanza is currently a recipient of a AHRC creative fellowship 2006-9 for a project called The Emergent City, researching sensors and the impact of live data in the architectural and urban environment. This prestigious award provided incoming investment, allowing allowing experiments using new displays, sensors, and live data to make responsive spaces and interactive installations.
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- other stanza related city based artworks below -
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