Traffic engineers have, over the years, come up with a variety of ways to visually present traffic data in a way that makes sense to the observer and conveys a particular message. Some mapping systems show drivers where traffic is slow in real time so that they can avoid delays; others are static representations to help planners design the network; still others are 3D animations that highlight conflicts and operational problems. For each purpose, a different tool.
Some data is immensely difficult to present in a meaningful way, and the Visualizar Workshop in Madrid last November attempted some fascinating new ways to present data. One of the workshop projects was Cascade on Wheels:
We made two different visualizations of the same data set. We intended not just to visualize the data in a readable way, but also to express its meaning, with the use of metaphors. In the Walls Map piece, car counts are represented by 3D vertical columns emerging from the streets map, like walls. The Traffic Mixer piece, where noise is the metaphor, is an hybrid of a visualization and a sound toy. The first piece focuses more on showing the data in a readable and functional way, while the latter focuses more on expressing the meaning of the data and immersing the user into these numbers. Both pieces try to complete each other.
An interview on WorldChanging gives an idea of what the project's creators were trying to achieve.
I am fascinated by innovative ways to present traffic data because most visualisation tools haven't progressed enough to respond to new ways of thinking about transportation and how to provide a more balanced mobility system. Cascade on Wheels doesn't answer that challenge, but it does attempt to show some of the impacts of vehicular traffic that aren't captured using traditional models. It's this kind of thinking that is needed to improve the sustainability performance of cities.
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