Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
To demonstrate the use of software to visualize data we have chosen a project Aaron
produced in conjunction with his colleagues Gabriel Dunne and Scott Hessels. This
work was originally developed in 2006 as a series of experiments for the project Ce-
lestial Mechanics at UCLA. Aaron later continued the project with
Wired
magazine.
There can be 30,000 manmade objects in the sky above us at any one time, including
planes, helicopters, weather balloons and other technology. Aaron used Processing to
plot Federal Aviation Administration data to produce a piece of animated information
showing the paths of air traffic over North America.
The piece shows a 24-hour period where the animated path of each plane is shown
as a coloured line. Within the piece there are 573 aeroplanes, each represented by a
unique colour. The software plots each plane's journey from origin to destination. It
serves to demonstrate the complex nature of the flight paths high above the ground.
The animation shows the time differences across the continent with air traffic ebbing
and flowing as one side of the country goes to sleep and the other wakes up. The
viewer can filter the information to view aircraft by model or type, low altitude or
high altitude, or ascending or descending paths. This allows the viewer to see patterns
emerge around population centres and the complexity of directing air traffic at major
cities.
Digital data visualization allows the designer to present information in real time and
to interpret a database that can constantly be updated. The Processing software en-
ables amendments to be made comparatively swiftly and easily without having to re-
produce the visual by hand. The designer sets the parameters and the code provides
the visuals.
