Monday
After last week I decided to go with a slightly modified version of my first idea.
The project then is a method of visualisation for statistics, the idea to make numbers more tangible, easier to understand.
Visually, there could be a number of variations, with the common aspect that the numbers would always be drawn out visually, e.g. one unit (dot/spot/blot/line) in the graphic always represents one person/car/cow, or whatever the graphic happens to be visualising at the moment.
For the workshop I will make a specific-case poster, but longer term I would like to make a program that retrieves any information, and updates it in real-time.
At this moment I have two problems:
The first, smaller one has to do with speed, computing power. Drawing up 10 000 dots is fine, but for the poster to be really impressive I would like to draw up millions. Whenever I try this, NodeBox keels over and dies. It seems too much to calculate. I'm sure this can be solved, however.
The second, more serious problem has to do with content: what should be visualised? If it was an interactive program it would be fine to have it non-specific, but a non-specific infographic poster is not going to move anyone.
At this moment I don't have a really great idea for that. I will tomorrow, though.