workshop : GPS for Artists - workshop notes & links

notes from workshop: GPS for Artists - A Locative Day Out workshop with Ivan Pope at Isle of Wight

- class exercise showing how gps uses 3-4 satellites to track a location

- originally the military built gps
- variance - this was removed recently which meant the accuracy of commercial (non-military) gps devices increased

- you need line of sight to 3-4 satellites (3 for location, 4th for altitude); 3 minimum

- sometimes in cities, reflections from buildings stop the signals being received

- you can buy hand-held devices, aerials for the car which plug into pcs

- projects include tracking people's movements/average speed over a day or year

- information collected by gps device (data record):
- longitude
- latitude
- time
- direction
- altitude
- speed

- tracks - these are a record of the tracks as you move eg every one second, gives you an data record

- waypoints - fixed reference points on the route
- these can be labelled, named
- set mark point / waypoint then use free software to edit later

route - sets of stored info which you can use again if you visit the same location

satellite - tells you which one it's connected to

data states:
- signal on/off
- movement / no movement
- ascending / descending
- rate of ascention

- eg these pieces of data could be used to map to pieces of music; change pitch/volume etc using the different values; max/msp

projects:
- gpsdrawing.com
- brighton/oxford people
- drew a brighton boat -> rode bikes around the streets of brighton so the gps drew an outline of a boat. then they overlayed the gps data over a street map to create a 3D image of the boat in geographic space
(don't tell the advertisers!)

- pall thayer
- hlemmur in C
- tracks points of taxis in helsinki and generates sound
- you can hear when taxis pass each other or come close

- "invented spaces"
- overlaying onto other spaces / other layers
- different ways of mapping

- artmap mapping 001

books:
- "fragments of the european city" - stephen barber
- "london walking" - simon pope
- "mapping tourism" - stephen f hanna, vincent del casino jr
- "situationist international - anthology" - ken knob
- "envisioning information" - edward tufter

software:
- gps utility (free)
- www.gpsu.co.uk
- upload and download gps data to the device
- allows you to edit the waypoints
- can overlay onto web map
- calibrate the plot / tracks to the map
- overlay images
- export in gpx format

- gps visualizer
- www.gpsvisualizer.com
- converts waypoints and tracks to lines and puts map underneath
- .svg -> web maps
- inkscape software
- europe and usa street-level maps
- track options

- robophoto
- geotag the photos
- puts gps info into the exif header / image info; matches time photos were taken to the gps info

other gos devices
- cameras with gps data; pda's etc
- have embedded data in the photos; there are applications to interrogate this
- bluetooth gps
- symbian mobile phone; built in software

other software:
- gartrip
- gps track maker
- mygps
- easy gps
- robophoto.com
- geosnapper.com -> upload geotagged images
- blogmapper.com
- maps.google.com

projects:
- degree confluence project
- locative.org
- maps project : www.subk.net/maps.html

ideas from workshop participants for art-based uses of gps data:
- weave baskets; walk around mountains and track the data then weave a basket to match the shapes
- writing/poetry -> map to images; give it spatial elements
- use a 3D printer -> prints on layers of paper; similar to a lathe but uses paper
- tracking movement -> dna through time
- mapping spaces in the community; useful for travellers, they can receive messages from other travellers on their location-aware devices as they reach gps points; send notes to websites

gps makes you aware of the size and shapes of where you live and walk/travel

other links & projects:

gps information
http://gpsinformation.net

google maps
http://maps.google.com

gps visualizer
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com

geocaching
http://www.geocaching.com
geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. the basic idea is to have individuals and organisations setup caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. gps users can then use the location co-ordinates to find the caches. once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. all the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try and leave something for the cache.

geosnapper
http://www.geosnapper.com
geosnapper.com is the birthplace of gps photography. when you take a photograph, you are capturing an image of a particular place and time. geosnapper makes it a snap to share those experiences with others. our powerful search technology lets visitors view images by location, category, popularity, photographer and more. we welcome you to search and view our images from around the world or register today to share your experiences with our community.

geocinema
http://www.mutantfilm.com/geocinema
Any image or sequence recorded creates a simultaneous and parallel record of the exact GPS location where it was shot, which is fixed on the screen. Like the Time Code, which fixes us to Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Frames we are approaching the era of Place Code - a Longitude, Latitude reference to fuse into the mix of information about our recorded image. This is an intriguing and fascinating prospect. Although this might currently appear as a marginal innovation, it does in fact begin to change how we view the material we see and record. With an option to "Place Code" our recorded images, the notion of "being on location" is about to be transformed with the advent of a "Geo-Cinema". Geo-Cinema is the new cinema of commuting, variable and ebbeded in motion, locations, and fluidity.

blogmapper
http://www.blogmapper.com
Blogmapper lets you associate blog entries with hot spots on a map. When you click on the spots, the entries appear. View the graffiti blog and you'll see exactly what we mean. Blogmapper can be used to map and log anything anywhere, including your travels, and the places and things that interest you. Anyone with access to the web can do this - neither mapping expertise nor software installation is required. And it's free!

aware
http://awa-re.net
The Aware platform is a design tool and a production environment. It allows for collective publication and syndication of mobile media.

degree confluence project
http://www.confluence.org
The project is an organized sampling of the world. There is a confluence within 49 miles (79 km) of you if you're on the surface of Earth. We've discounted confluences in the oceans and some near the poles, but there are still 12,414 to be found.

gpster
http://www.gpster.net/index.html

locative
http://www.locative.org

mapsproject
http://www.subk.net/maps.html
the conventional function of a map is to contain universal symbols and keys; icons that people will recognize as streets, monuments, etc. As in organized tours, they emphasize what is commonly thought of as interesting and important. i collect personal maps people draw. one's memory and perception of a place is very personal, so each is a reflection, however small or large, of how the individual connects to their environment: knowing, organizing, and understanding it. in short, each one is a small token of memory and experience, whether created in order to help me understand a place, to direct me to the nearest gas station, or as an answer to my persistant requests to find the local gem of a strange little town. feel free to browse my MAPSPROJECT.

mark lombardi
http://www.wburg.com/0202/arts/lombardi.html

uncharted territory
http://www.saulgallery.com/chronicle/uncharted_territory.html
The Julie Saul Gallery is pleased to announce a group exhibition on the theme of mapping. The show will include historical maps and works by a wide range of contemporary artists working in a variety of mediums including painting, collage, drawing, photography and printmaking.

theory of derive
gyu debord
http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/display_printable/314

drifting through the grid: psychogeography and imperial infrastructure
http://arago.cprost.sfu.ca:8587/members/mtuters/locative_media_news/

locative media news
http://arago.cprost.sfu.ca:8587/Members/mtuters/locative_media_news

drew hemment: the locative dystopia
http://www.makeworlds.org/node/76

jeremy hight
narrative archaeology
http://www.xcp.bfn.org/hight.html

mapping territory
http://amsterdam.nettime.org/lists-archives/nettime-l-0307/msg00027.html

jen southern
http://www.theportable.tv

glenn's gis user weblog
http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/4685