Playing with Light

I created a lightbox to hold the images printed on tracing paper. I wanted to create the same feel as the images from the screen when printing. I felt that a lot of the brightness and glow was lost when the image was printed.

The image is split into three layers (black, colour and line) which create bluring and blending of tones. The top layer is the sharp lines so it will always stay sharp. The bottom layer is the black background as its edge is least important.

Blendmode(add)

The images I have created work great on screen with blend mode add however it becomes less effective when printed. I think this is partly because of the large area of black that has to be printed and often isn't perfect, as well as the fact that a screen is a light source when as the paper needs light shining on it.

The blend was different if done in processing or illistrator. The processing one looks much better but an only be saved as a png.

 Illustrator blend

Processing blend

Exploring Data

I used the data to explore the relationship between the position and other information about the lighthouse. It created some interesting visuals that can tell a story about the danger at sea the further from main land you get.

The last image showing height mapped to size and colour is very interesting. You can actually see trails of blue colour snaking into land and larger red dots scattered around the outside.

 Position only

 Colour of Light

 Range mapped as colour

Range mapped as size and colour

 Height mapped to colour

Height mapped to size and colour

Created Images

  Here is a selection of the images created from the data. I have made a lot of small adjustments to the images as I have been creating them. It is interesting how small changes can effect the feel and outcome of the work.

New Icon Design

 Showing the side view of the lighthouse allows for height to be mapped as well. The semi circle is the same as before. A few negatives with the icon are that the shape is similar to an umbrella, and has a friendly feel. Where as the image of a lighthouse is more sinister and formal. 




 Below are the updated icons. they have a more scientific formal feel. The only problem now is the text that sometimes overlaps. I will have to use the textWidth() function to see if a name is too long and if so split it.

Initial Visualisations

 Here are some circular designs for visualising range, colour and the characteristics of the flash. It is useful for creative pieces however slightly misleading as the range of the light distorts the characteristics of the light. Show below are to similar flashing lights with different ranges. Even though the lights flash the at same speed the smaller the range the quicker the flash appears.

Lighthouse Data

     Rather then getting the data from a navigation chart I thought that there could be a list of lighthouses and data online somewhere. I checked the website for the organization that runs and looks after the lighthouses but the was only a small clue that there could be a list somewhere.

https://www.nlb.org.uk/

     They advertised a lighthouse library that failed to load. However they noted the source of information as "Admiralty List of Lights and Fog Signals". This would be the next challange to find online.

https://www.nlb.org.uk/LighthouseLibrary/Main/

     I found a pdf online which lists ever lighthouse and beacon in Briton. Including there location, light characteristics, height and range. All of which will be useful for creating a variety of images.

http://www.waypointamsterdam.com/Handy_stuf/Pub114bk.pdf

     Unfortunatly the data has to be in a spreadsheet to be read easily. So began the long task of typing in a lot of data into a spread sheet.

 

     600 lights later and the results are starting to show.

 

Data set

http://www.visitmyharbour.com/harbours/west-scotland-northern-ireland/lamlash/chart/898EC4B83BC11/chart-of-lamlash-2012

http://www.windfinder.com/weather-maps/forecast/unitedkingdom#7/55.267/-4.944


http://www.visitmyharbour.com/articles/3168/hourly-tidal-streams-around-the-firth-of-clyde

http://www.xcweather.co.uk/GB/forecast

https://www.tidetimes.org.uk/lamlash-tide-times

Here are some examples of the data and data visualisations that are connected to navigation charts. They show a good range of functional data displays. It will be important in my project to break away from this type of functional display.

I am hoping to produce interesting images developed from these data sets but not connected visually to the original images of charts and graphs.

Data Visualisation

Initial Thoughts

-Because of links with other interests and hobbies at the time of this project I am keen on adapting navigational charts into my designs. I'm not sure of the theme or ideas behind the project yet but there are plenty of starting points to take from a navigation chart.

1. Positions
2. Distances
3. Depth
4. Tide height
5. Tide Streams
6. Lights
7. Warnings

          The current weather is also used in conjunction with the charts. 

-Navigation charts are themselves a type of data visualisation however they are on the very far edge of functional data visuals, similar to graphs and bar charts. They are designed to be as functional as possible. They are also multi-layered with different levels of information. They effectively act as a work sheet to go through all the steps of planning a route from A to B. This is a large calculation and takes in all the information you can get from the chart and various other sources.


-From the initial look through examples of data visualisations there were some clear types of visuals. Some clean, unclutered and containing a few useful bits of data. Often using simple shapes lines and clean fonts to show at a glance the full story.
 
-Some showed a huge range of data that merged into an unreadable yet interesting image. On closer inspection the miniture details within the image would unfold in sporadic lumps. Patters will emerge but there importance might be lost in the scale of information.

-Some show data visualised using graphics and images. Breaking away from the scientific feel of computer generated images.

-And then there are also pieces realiesed in 3d real space. In the examples below there are charts made using slices of log and floating balloons on strings. These add a material quality to the work, making them tangable can add a lot of power to data.

 http://flowingdata.com/

 http://flowingdata.com/

 http://domesticstreamers.com/

 http://domesticstreamers.com/

 http://stamen.com/

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/