Final Project: Eco-Visualization

Although the issue of energy conservation is not a new concept, Global Warming has only become a household term in the recent decade. The energy crisis is certainly one of the mot pressing problems of the current generation and the effort to internationally reduce energy consumption is not penetrating society as poignantly as it should. Particularly in America individuals are struggling to grasp—and often refusing to believe—how dire the situation has become. Our economy (especially since the industrial revolution) has relied on the planets limited resources such as oil, electricity and water in order to promote the success of capitalism. Cities have become inextricably tied to industrial and agricultural products and as a result account for the majority of energy use. Our civilization has become dependent on natures depleting resources without any consideration for the necessary balance that must exist between systems such as nature and economy.

Global initiatives are being stifled by America’s refusal to meet goals such as the Kyoto protocol to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the media has turned the threat of global warming into socio-political abstract that is inaccessible to the average individual. Repeated terms such as “global warming,” “energy crisis,” and “carbon foot-print” are losing validity in our culture. There is a need for a more personal relation of the attitude that must be adopted in order to reach a sustainable life style.

Dynamic data visualization is a uniquely new cultural form enabled by computing. It allows for a multitude of the worlds information to be exposed, consolidated, and represented—something unprecedented until recently. Visualized feedback is the beginning of responsive architecture and an extremely powerful tool for communicating information and influencing user behavior if used properly. Since the field is relatively young, the difficulty lies in determining the most effective way to visualize data such as energy consumption so that it is attractively presented, easily comprehended, and remarkably revealing.