Amsterdam residents who participated in the month-long Amsterdam RealTime project were outfitted with a GPS tracer-unit that allowed realtime maps to be drawn of the "sheer movements of real people." Interesting variations emerged, for instance, between the maps of those who walk, those who bike, and those who drive cars. Some routes even created visual pictures such as this pigeon. Participants were sent copies of their personal routes; their own "diary in traces."
Link courtesy of Newstrolls.
I admit I'm a little floored by this project. I've seen maps based on city lights and such, but this is the first I've seen that tries to construct the city by tracing the movement of individual citizens. It's a little scary in a panopticon kind of way, but still intriguing.
Re: Amsterdam Residents Trace Their Own City Maps
I find nothing scary about this--they are all volunteers--and it seems like one of the coolest things I've seen about cities and usage and environmental psychology in a while. I'd love to see more of this. Aggregated, visual representations of group behavior excites me. No seriously. Great stuff.
Re: Amsterdam Residents Trace Their Own City Maps
i agree. neat stuff :)
Re: Amsterdam Residents Trace Their Own City Maps
I agree: great stuff; really cool. I can especially imagine intriguing uses by retailers who could track where their products actually go after leaving the store. I agree also that there's nothing scary about the way it's being used right now, though I assume people thought cookies were cool once too: "Look, it remembers my password for me!"
Re: Amsterdam Residents Trace Their Own City Maps
Totally awesome. Maps are definitely texts, filled with ideological implications.