| Planet 11

Planet 11

Project Overview

This project required a creative approach to data visualisation, utilising an API to represent "Big Data" collected from various sensors in UTS Building 11. Our group chose to visualise measurements such as the total number of people (represented by buildings), CO2 levels (represented by clouds), oxygen, and temperature (represented by colour), all displayed on a planet that updated in real time to reflect the sensor data. Numerical values accompanied these visual elements.

Thematically, a planet was deemed the most suitable creative solution for presenting this data, as it was both contextually appropriate and made the information being conveyed easy to understand.

The visual design choices for these data sources were made after selecting the sensors, aligning with the chosen planet theme to ensure relevance and coherence in the prototype.

Ideate

Given the large number of available sensors and the even greater number of ways to visually and cohesively present their data, it was necessary to carefully select which sensors to use. The selection criteria focused on sensors that gathered data with overlapping or related metrics and ensured the data remained significant during both peak and non-peak activity periods. Based on these factors, sensors for people, CO2 levels, oxygen, and temperature were chosen. Each sensor's measured numerical value was displayed in the top-left corner alongside its visualised representation.

Prototype + Coding

The prototype for this project was entirely digital, requiring all functionality to be implemented through coding. This involved ensuring the API containing sensor data was successfully integrated into the code and represented using the planned visualisation method.

This stage posed the greatest challenges and required the most time to ensure the data was accurately visualised, updated in real-time while the sensors were active, and presented in a way that was intuitive and easily understood by users viewing the final prototype.

Testing

The prototype underwent repeated testing and adjustments to refine its functionality and visual design, focusing on the ratio of measured to visualised data, as well as colour and layout choices. These iterations ensured the sensor data changes over time were clearly displayed while avoiding an overload of information in the visualisation.

Based on testing results, the decision was made to introduce a slider allowing users to adjust the speed of the set, measured time period flows. This feature added a layer of personalisation and enhanced user interaction, tailoring the experience to individual preferences.