it used to be a creek - itp thesis midterm presentation
DESCRIPTION
Proposed web tool for reporting and mapping plant and animal sightings in the Gowanus area.TRANSCRIPT
IT USED TO BE A CREEKOver the years, many species have disappeared from the Gowanus area.
Many species are now returning because of human intervention.
By looking at what once lived here and what is now returning, perhaps we can imagine the future Gowanus as an ecosystem, not just a superfund site.
WHAT IT WAS…An interactive web timeline focusing on the changing flora, fauna, and landscape of the area.
WHAT IT HAS BECOME
After reaching out to the artists and researchers of Proteus Gowanus, I noticed an interest/need for information regarding the local flora and fauna in and near the canal.
itUsedToBeACreek.com will become a tool for reporting and mapping plant and animal sightings in the area.
I grew up mucking through the salt marshes, rivers, and estuaries of Long Island with my mother and little brother Gavin. He became obsessed with catching fiddler crabs. I became obsessed with sketching and cataloging all of the plants and animals I found. I even wrote the latin names underneath each drawing.
Having lived in Brooklyn for almost half of my life, my waterfront experiences include biking over bridges and along rivers, eating hotdogs on the pier, and almost always commenting on the color and stench of whatever body of water I am near. !
But New York wasn’t always like this, not even the Gowanus Canal. It started off as a lush estuary teaming with fish spawning grounds, giant oysters, bears, beavers, otters, and foxes. It may not be pristine wilderness anymore, but it is still an ecosystem with complex interactions and consequences (and lets not forget the water table). If we ever hope to restore any of its natural beauty, we must understand its ecological past and present.
wildlife spotted
open web app and browse catalog
species identified
app acesses phone location
species reported to database
user presented fact about species
Observe + Identify Report
interactive map of reported species
table of reported species
individual species report facts/locations
visual catalog of species and facts
Explore
GeoJSON API
Bootstrap, Flask, Jinja WTForms
HTML5 geolocation
Google Maps API reverse geocding
Python
MongoDB
Front End Back End Visualization Tools
Jsonify
TileMill
Mapbox.js / Leaflet.js
Javascript Events
GreenSock.js Animations
AND BEYOND…“Audubon” style identify and report site still exists.
Sister site which accesses phone’s camera from web browser allowing a user to upload a picture of wildlife which is geotagged.
This pictures are then pinned to a mapping of the area for identification by others. *Those identifying could be experts, gowanus enthusiasts, or students.
Photographs are paired with the master catalog of species locations and facts.
Seasonal and time based mappings based on the timestamp of the species reports.
SAMPLE FACTBrooklime Veronica beccabunga !
Congratulations you are the first to report a sighting of Brooklime! !
Did you know? Brooklime’s sole known port of entry into the United States is listed as the Gowanus Canal, before it spread to rest of continent. !
GOALS
• Add context and location to a learning experience:THIS plant is HERE.
• Participation and leads to ownership of information.
• Once you notice the milkweed, and tag the milkweed you notice other instances of the milkweed, and when the milkweed disappears from the area.
• Build a series of time based snapshots of biomass of the area.
WHY NOW?
The EPA’s Superfund Cleanup Proposal is being finalized, and investors are already buying up rights to the waterfront.
Now is a perfect time to look catalog its current biomass before EPA cleanup and new construction begins.
Are we cleaning this site to restore health to the water way? Or to build condos.
NEXT STEPSContinue building and refining the web app. explore phones camera access via browser without PhoneGap.
Explore methods of visualization/exploration
Build out Audubon-esque catalog of known species with my own graphic style, and interesting relevant facts
Submit iterations to the people of Proteus for user testing and feedback
Go on a few walkabouts, log any/all data for mappings and visualizations.
BACK TO THE WETLANDS
I will be using a test version of my web app to catalog as many species as possible this spring.
Yes, I’m canoeing down the canal with the Gowanus Dredgers.
My findings will be used to create a mapping and visualizations of current state of gowanus flora and fauna.
RESEARCH AND OUTREACHI have downloaded any/all maps and projects from the Proteus Gowanus digital archive.
Eymund Deigel, historian and researcher for Proteus has been sharing relevant data as well as critiquing my progress and app prototype. Most importantly relevant projects and a species sighting list.
Planned meetings with Gowanus Bee Keepers, Museum of Natural History Naturalist, Head Horticulturist from the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.
RELEVANT PROJECTS AND INSPIRATION“Huck on the Gowanus” by Christina Kelly
LOST AND FOUNDBy Christina Kelly for TEDx Gowanus
!
A memorial to “lost” species and a promise of hope for “found” species. !
Lost species are those who once lived here and have disappeared. !
Found species are those who have returned. !
Thats poor Sludgie’s skull.
A Brief Guide to the Wildflowers of the Gowanuswith the names, haunts, and habits of the most common, and notes on their culinary and medicinal uses
James Walsh March 2011
TWEET MAP GOWANUS CANAL AREA
• not content specific, only location specific
• heat map, no drill down, not learning experience
• but it is Gowanus specific
WHAT WAS THERE• Offers only images for a location, not explanation • User never experiences the place
• upload pictures and get help identifying what you have found from the community. • there is a map, but its not site specific and visually lacking
• location specific, environmentally related • focus on pollution not ecology
AIR CASTING
PROJECT NOAH• document species via camera phone, take a picture and identify • explore reported species • ITP, Citizen Science, community based
INTO THE OKAVANGO• trip specific mapping of the National Geographic Series events • wildlife sightings and heart rate data of the three main characters • API for use by others
QUESTIONS FOR THE CRITICS
• How might I bring back the natural history aspect of this project?I have done tons of research regarding oysters, bees, and the pollution. How can I add this to the reporting/exploring experience?
• Besides an interactive map, I will have the sighting data as GeoJSON.How else might I represent this data besides a map on the site?
• What besides the species name, image, and location could I look to report?