Emily Davidow

Stockport Emotion Map by Christian Nold, from presentation on “The Human Impact” at Pop!Tech 2007 conference.

Christian Nold looks at cities… differently. Most people go around cities with their head down. 50% of people live in them, yet they are more a concept than anything else. Nold posits cities are a consensual hallucination.

Historically, maps personified rivers and trees, and activities were embodied within the artful human-scale maps. How can we represent people again and all their human interactions? Nold has been exploring these ideas through biomapping, participatory sensory mapping, for the last 4 years.

The first projects began with blindfolding people and having them explore their local area. The main thing they noticed was smells. Now he uses a biomapping device that measures physiological arousal, how are bodies react to the world. Chris Nold’s biomapping device consists of a Galvanic Skin response sensor/data logger and a commercial GPS unit. The data is then loaded into Google Earth.

The resulting maps show where people feel excited and stressed, such as at the busy traffic crossing above. Places invisible or hidden on ordinary maps stand out on emotion maps, such as beautiful murals and social spaces where people interact. You also see what’s really going on in a place regarding traffic and pollution issues.

Nold notes that young people he encounters often don’t value their own perceptions and stresses how important it is to see themselves on the map. It’s important to visualize that you matter and also that you make up part of a larger place. The map helps show conflict and situations where some of the aspects are difficult to see and even contradictory. People begin to recognize cities as personal stories of place, get stimulated by their own experiences and start talking about their own stories. It makes a compelling entry point for civic engagement.

Personally, biomapping has made Nold more aware of his own behavior, life and level of association. He used to think of himself as an individual or mass, but now sees himself as a member of groups and small societies and sees social change happening most effectively at that level of organization.

The next day, Jonathan Harris presented his exploration of human emotions on the Web, We Feel Fine, that also tracks location data. I’d love to see a dynamic emotional map generated by a Google Earth mashup with the We Feel Fine data.

I wonder if Nold has tried biomapping any other urban species? What does Paris really look like to the rats? I have often imagined Cosmo’s canine map of NYC’s West Village. No electronic device is required to map his arousal level; it spikes at every venue that has ever dispensed treats, along with pet food stores, farmers markets, veterinarians, dog-friendly cafes, parks and patches of grass.