Sections

To illustrate our research results we created charts drawn on space sections of measurements points. These illustrations shows relations between the surroundings and luminosity/sound level results. We also added parameter blood pressure, based on results of CT 2 group.

Conclusions

We chose one path for all 5 groups

After first test with "letter W" we decided to expand our research. We chose to collect not only GPS position during our walks but also information about space we are crossing through.

Number of people in our group increased, so we had to organize work for 15 people now:)

After discussions we decided which factors we want to put on the map, these are:

The groups are:

GROUP NAME	CT1	CT2	CT3	CT4	CT5
Data type	noise/ luminosity	galvanic skin response/ blood pressure/ pulse	calories burnt/ amount of steps	temperature	velocity
Participants:	Karol Dzik	Maciej Burdalski	Michał Miszkurka	Łukasz Iwan	Piotr Baszyński
	Paulina Kowalczyk	Anna Śliwka	Semir Poturak	Kiryl Karvat	Jan Rubel
	Krystian Kwieciński	Mateusz Wójcicki	Kasia Westrych	Kama Kośka	Leszek Włochyński

Each group of 3 people have to develop it's own methodology to collect data.

Some of data we will collect are objective and describe space around us (noise, luminosity, temperature) other refer to human body - its abilities and response to space (amount of steps, calories burnt, pulse, blood pressure, galvanic skin response). Our aim is to find relations between objective factors and our bodies subjective response. We want to tag the city by creating a new layer on the city map which will contain paths shaped by our results.

After doing sketches of giant map inscriptions we tried to “write on map” in real. First try was with letter W (first letter of WAPW- Polish letter abbreviation of Faculty of Architecture Warsaw University of Technology) and the starting point of our walk was the Faculty:

The walk took place on 25th of November 2010. To record it we used phone with GPS and Endomondo application installed (see Endomondo description made by group CT3). From this application we got .xml files with all data from GPS (location, altitude, velocity, time). We used gpsvisualizer.com website to convert .xml file with our route. On this website it is possible to convert gps data into files readable by Google Maps, Google Earth, MS Excel and many other programs.

With .kml file we were able to see our route in Google Earth. As it is visible on picture below, data from GPS are not very accurate. Path visible in Google Earth or Google Maps goes through the buildings or makes strange loops, none of which happened during our walk.

With Google Earth we were able to reconstruct our walk using Trips function. Imported .gpx gave Google Earth time and route for this virtual walk. Videos (one shows route from human level, other from birds eye) with this virtual trip is below.

INSPIRATIONS

In our work we were inspired by the book "Emotional Cartography - Technologies of the Self" edited by Christian Nold (2009) who is making resaerch about influence of surrounding on an intimate biometric data.

THE BOOK

Emotional Cartography is a collection of essays from artists, designers, psychogeographers, cultural researchers, futurologists and neuroscientists, brought together by Christian Nold, to explore the political, social and cultural implications of visualising intimate biometric data and emotional experiences using technology.

Christian Nold invented a small toll called The Bio Mapping device (photo: GPS - left, fingercuffs - top and data logger on the right) which is a portable and wearable tool recording data from two technologies: a simple biometric sensor measuring Galvanic Skin Response and a Global Positioning System (GPS). By this tool he was checing the emotional response of poeple.

Left: "Emotional Cartography - Technologies of the Self" edited by Christian Nold (2009)

THE DEVICES

Main devices that were used to acquire the data was the pulse measuring device, wchich was used to measure the pulse in exact spots that were crucial to the given path.

Based on the results we wanted to be able to create various "emotional maps" of the city.

THE MAPS

Picture are a graphical representation of visual maps we were inspired with.

THE RESEARCH

CT2 Group inspired by His research decided to check if the selected route has influence on people in terms of a personal pulse and blood pressure. We measured it in 11 stops by proffesional pressure gauge. Our aim was to check if our body is "reacting" for changing elements of the city. Here we are presenring the effects of our research:

On the right can see schematic sketch of our tour with 11 checking points. As you can see checking points were placed in places with special meaning, features, function and character. You can see also measurement tool, wchich measure pulse and blood plesure by sensor on the wrist and of course data from every point. Below there are 2 charts showing the variables.











There were 3 of participants, who were measured in 11 checking points. Aas you can see in many points ours results are quite similar - have the same tends do increase or decrease. Of course we have in mind personal different features like gender, age, body built, diete etc . All this aspects have influence on our results, esepecially: personal, genetic features of pulse/blood pressure, speed of walking.
Whats more we also use endomondo.com application to record our way by GPS system. Unfortunately we made some mistakes during the trip so it doesnt show our way perfectly.

THE RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS

Many external aspects have impact on our results like genetic features of pulse/blood pressure, speed of walking, gender, age, body built, diet etc. That is why our measurements should be also analyzed by additional professionals like doctors and psychiatrists.

Our research was only the introduction to wide-scale studies and experiments. Basing onour sketches, we are sure that this topic has a great potential and should be developed ina future. Specific and proved results should be foundation for a list of space shaping actions. Despite of the sketch character of our work, we can try to formulate some conclusions.

Our results are quite similar - have the same tends to increase or decrease in the same moments. Forgetting about the body differences, we can assume that for some factors we are reacting in the same way. For example we are all more stressed near to the high loud and crowded street, we are slower and more relaxed in a middle of a park, we are reacting differently from each other in a well-known and new places.

Going further we can shape the proper space reactions. For example, if some part of the city is to loud and people are more stressed because of that. We can place sound absorbers, use acoustic materials or shape local building in a way which will be stopping the sound flow. In areas where are a lot of aggressive attractors like shops, advertisements, billboards etc., we can place more green alleys and courts, to balance energy flow between users and environment.

There are a lot of more examples which can be solve by our researches. In our opinion such experimental methods can be the future of city shaping and they are worth continuing.

SAMPLE PROJECT

The data which we acquired can be simply compared to noise value in the area. As a sample design we can introduce the part of a DS1 project of one of our group participants. It assumes creating the level of urban tissue from given research data. In this case the noise map from the surrounding determines how high the buildings are.

Volumes were generated by a Grasshoper script taking the noise height map. On a 7x7 m grid (which simulates a constuction module) are distributed cubics in amount which is dictated by the amount of noise in the exact point. The noise dictates the boundaries for human shelters.
We as people run away from noise as far we can. In this situation in is the noise which allows us to buil our architecture like walls dividing us from it. This

way we amplify the spaces where the noise is lowest and create public areas in those places.
The analysis tells us what area we should use for each function.


The noise is the highest in the direct neighbourhood of the Al. Jerozolimskie. The lowest is the farther we go into the urban squares. The highest height the buildings achieve in beside the roads and get lover in the middle of the squares.

We get more volume near the communication and cosy space inside.

Here are the very first skeches of our tags. For now we are creating these drawings and deciding which information to put there. Next step will be trying to walk these paths: