Project Implementation



The urban memoryScape will allow contributors to create auditory clips, similar to weBlogs, about the urban area they inhabit. They will then be able to become users and travel within this area and receive wireless sound clips from area sensitive emitors.


From the contributor's side:

connectivity +
membership +
thought   


From the user's side:

wireless earbud +
proximity detection +
personal displacement   


Weblogs, or blogs as they are more affectionately termed, are basically pages compiled by web users in the form of autobiographies of sorts. They are an intimate look at the thoughts of an individual person, written from the perspective of that person, updated regularly, created as a publicly browsable web page.


The problem with traditional blogs is that the content is usually irrelevant to the site visitor. In the proposed manner of use, context will be provided by the environment one is travelling through.


To create incentive to contribute, communities could be able to apply for a urban memoryScape system. Because they have to apply, the community would then be sure of interest and involvment. The reasons for wanting a memoryScape would be for attracting tourists or allowing the community to learn more about itself. It could also disprove certain assumptions people might have about the area.


To contribute a sound clip, users must first sign up for a membership. They are assigned an ID and password which will aid in customization; we will cover this topic later. Once assigned a profile, users will then be able to contribute sound clips on their computer, on the phone, or on their PDAs as long as they have sound capturing capabilities and a connection to the network. They will sign in, provide the audio, and connect it to a physical location; they will also be able to attach restrictions (if need be) to allow only certain users to hear them for example.


Users will navigate as they please. When within the designated memoryScape area, specific perimetered spaces will detect them, using wireless agents, and the sound clips will be heard in their hearing accessory. This accessory will be small and unobstrusive and will be extremely comfortable. This will allow the minimal technology to be worn unconsioucly.


The more auditory clips are added, the more users will be able to customize their experience. People might want to hear the thoughts of a certain subset of people to which they feel a connection or to which they would like to know more about. They might want to hear from people they know or have never met. Young, old, different genders, different ethnicity, all can provide a radically different subjectivity to the area to which they are connected. Each member will be able to specify a profile which will say something about them. These interests and character traits will then be applied to the choice of sounds played.


Users will be able to modify their profile not only for content but also to avoid profanity or other content that might offend if they so choose. The only censorship that would occur would be to weed out advertisements. The urban memoryScape is meant to connect people; it will be extremely important to avoid corporate promotions on the networks as this will dissuade users and shatter the experience.


Users will also be able to customize their listening experience by laying it over music if they wish.


As a secondary service, the urban memoryScape will also allow a virtual map of the area which will produce sound depending on where the mouse pointer is. This will allow for the experience to be accessible to everyone even those who can not necessarily get out of the house or travel.