Projection Mapping

Final output

Software

Video

Adobe After Effects

Digital motion graphics and compositing software published by Adobe Systems, used in the post-production process of filmmaking and television production. Its main uses are the origination of 2D and 2.5D animation, visual effects compositing and finishing (image adjustment, color correction etc.). After Effects can also be used as a basic non-linear editor and a media transcoder.

Mapping

There is few projection tools that I found  for Windows user.

Video Projection Tool

The software, built in max/msp with jitter from cycling74, is made to work for both max osX and windows xp/vista.It works with 8 layers of video which can be placed in a 3D space (openGL). Each layer can be scaled,positioned, rotated, distorted, tinted and masked individually, and accept quicktime video files, live camera feed and a live drawing tool as sources.

Resolume Avenue

Resolume Avenue can play multiple layers of full HD without skipping a beat and it can handle multiple live inputs to make it a virtual video mixing desk.

Resolume Arena **

Resolume 4 comes in 2 editions. Avenue is the VJ software you know and love, Arena has all the features of Avenue plus features you'd expect from a media server, soft edging, screen warping, DMX input and SMPTE timecode input.

** I use Resolume Arena for my projection mapping for my final project.

Progress

Sculpture 

Using box and old newspaper to build the sculpture.

Try to rearrange the box

The big box is wrap using white cloth and 4 other box using white paper.

Projector 

Testing projector 

 Software

  

Mapping using Resolume Arena 4.1.3

Project log final submission

Budget

Few items needed for my project

• Laptop/PC : Personal

Used to create the visual and control the webcam or kinect

• Cardboard : RM 50 - RM 80

Used to create a prop (building)

• Projector : ?

Used to projecting the visual on top of the prob.

• Webcam (if) : Personal

Used to detect the object

• Kinect (if) : RM 400 - RM 500

Used to detect the object

There might be few items will be added/reduce in the future.

Functional Specification Worksheet

Project Name: Virtual urban agriculture

Project Type: Installation/ Interactive art

Problem Issue: Based on my research, urban agriculture main problem is space. Throughout my research, many people don't know that we can use a small space to planted a plant.

Purpose of Project: Audience can virtually plant through the installation

User Interaction: Audience place the stone anywhere within the prop area to virtually planting. As the visual /effects will appear after they placed the stone.

Media Element/Content:

• Animation : A visual/effect of vegetables/fruit which will be simplifies into something simple.

Content Development

# Software

I will using this software & tools :

• Processing
• Adobe Flash
• Webcam / Kinect
• Projector

*  will be update if there any other software i will use while testing the project.

# Storyboard

Space is one of the problem from my topic, urban agriculture. My project is basically an interactive installation art. The installation is to create a virtual urban agriculture.

This is roughly my idea which based on the data i have gather to create an interactive installation. The idea might be changed/improvise in the future.

A white prop represent an urban city. The prop will be a few boxes(buildings). In upper of the prop there will be a projector and a webcam. Projector will be projecting a  video/animation  from the object detected through webcam.  The object will be small stone with different color. From the different stone color, a different video/animation will appear. The  video/animation   will be based on a few kinds of vegetables and fruit. The small stone is used to represent a seed

Floor plan of the installation

Flow of the installation

A projector and webcam is place above the prop so webcam can detect the stone and play the video/animation

Place the stone with different color on top of the prop

Webcam will detect the stone.

A projector will project the video/animation as the stone is detected.

 The idea of this installation is for audience to create their own space in creating a virtual urban agriculture. 

Flowchart

This is my flowchart, which i going to apply it in my interactive installation art.

Gantt Chart

This is my gantt chart.

Analysis and Criticality

Analysis

Based on my research / survey / observation :

• Respondent believe we can do urban agriculture in urban area.
• Respondent agree that we can do urban agriculture as a hobby but they don't want to do it as their hobby.
• Lot of benefit to our self and community.
• Agriculture can be boring and tiring but also feel satisfaction and exciting.
• Lot of unused thing can be reused for this urban agriculture (ex: bottle, broken cup, etc.)

Criticality

Based on my analysis, i have point out few major of question that might be help for my research:

• What can we make urban agriculture more interesting?
• Do they aware the benefit of urban agriculture to their life?
• What can we get from urban agriculture?
• What material that we can use as a base to do urban agriculture?
• Will it be worth doing urban agriculture?

Research Materials

Community food-growing and urban agriculture projects help well-being in the following ways:

•   The work itself is therapeutic for participants, because it involves hands-on and useful achievements that reduce stress levels and support their mental health.

• ·         The urban agriculture setting is advantageous in offering people a routine that is easy to understand and engage with. Working with plants or animals allows participants to have space and tasks to themselves, with their routine guided by the care needs of the plants or animals. The process of caring for something encourages satisfaction and self-esteem.
• ·         Simply working physically, outdoors and in a natural environment, contributes to mental well-being for participants.

• ·         Communities developed through food-growing and urban agriculture projects help participants to feel part of something with other people. Supportive relationships relieve stress and improve self-esteem.

Community food growing and urban agriculture projects have particular strengths in this respect. They were seen to develop the following transferable skills:

• ·         Self-management and personal responsibility

Learning to behave appropriately and to meet expectations in the work that is done.

• ·         Problem solving

The ability to understand practical problems or interpersonal problems and to address them.

• ·         Teamwork and communication skills

The ability to work well in a team, to support others, or to lead others.


These is few example of simple urban agriculture: 

Methodology

For this research i did online survey on few people based on these questionnaire: 

Gender *

 Female

 Male

Age *

 17 or younger

 18 - 25

 25 - 30

 31- 40

 41 or older

Occupation *

 Unemployed

 Student

 Private sector worker

 Government sector worker

 Other

Do you know what urban agriculture is? *

 Yes

 No

 Not sure

Do you think we can do agriculture in city/urban agriculture? *

 Yes

 No

If you live in city area and you like to do agriculture, would you take the opportunity to do the urban agriculture? *

 Yes

 No

Do you think urban agriculture can be done as a hobby? *

 Yes

 No

Would you like to do urban agriculture as your hobby during your free time? *

 Yes

 No

If you do urban agriculture, would you like to... *

 sell the product to a market

 keep it as your daily food

 decoration in your house

 Other: 

Do you think urban agriculture will generate profit in your life? State the reason. *

In your opinion, do you think Malaysia experiences insufficient of fresh food productions? *

 Yes

 No

For example, Malaysia has problems with shortage of food productions, (fruits, vegetables, etc.) do you think urban agriculture will solve the problem? *

 Yes

 No

 Other: 

As we all know, Malaysia slowly became an urban city and a lot of ecology problem (air pollution, water pollution and etc); do you think urban agriculture will help.... *

 reduce the problem

 make the problem worse

 Other: 

Do you know, we can use waste such as bottle, tire, and eggshell to plant the vegetables?or other interesting way to do urban agriculture?Give example. *



Conclusion:

Based on the survey that i conducted, more than half of respondent not know what is urban agriculture. Even so, they believe they can do agriculture in urban city.  Even though they don't really know  about urban agriculture, some of the respondent would like to do it as their activities during free time.  They also think these activities would bring them some profit.  Some of them, would like to do these activities as a hobby and do urban agriculture to decorating their house and use it for their self. They also give some ideas how to do urban agriculture in creative ways.

Precedent Studies

Vision-based Interaction from ciner on Vimeo.

Urban Agriculture Exhibit Setup Video from Alan Fang on Vimeo.

KURO Interactive Touchscreen Project from Ryan J. on Vimeo.

2009 - Final career project - Interactive Floor Engine from Alberto Milà Díaz on Vimeo.

Homelessness

Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are most often unable to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country to country, or among different entities or institutions in the same country or region.

The term homeless may also include people whose primary night-time residence is in a homeless shelter, a warming center, a domestic violence shelter, cardboard boxes or other ad hoc housing situation. American Government homeless enumeration studies also include persons who sleep in a public or private place not designed for use as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

Homelessness, defined narrowly and strictly: not having a shelter in which to sleep and to perform basic human activities such as bathing.

Definition of homelessness:

1. Not having a place to call ‘home,’ and thus being forced to sleep outside or in a temporary shelter,

2. Having access to housing that is seriously deficient, in terms of sanitation, safe water, security of tenure, affordability, personal safety, and/or accessibility to employment, education, and health care.

 Why People Become Homeless

 There are a range of factors which can lead to a person becoming homeless which can be divided into the following -

Structural Causes can include poverty, unemployment and a lack of quality, affordable and appropriate housing.

Institutional Causes can include people who have been living in foster care and young people in state care, those who have been in prison or in mental health institutions, people who have been in hospital on a long-term basis or those who have been in the armed forces.

Relationship Causes can include people involved in abusive relationships or family breakdown. It can also be due to a death in the family.

Personal Causes can include people with mental health issues, learning difficulties and problems with drug and alcohol use.

Effects of Homelessness

For many people being homeless can mean time spent sleeping rough, living in hostels and/or moving between different types of accommodation. It can mean not having a normal family life or social contacts and a lack of belonging.

Long-term homelessness can impact on a person’s self-esteem – how they feel about themselves, and it can mean that that person does not get the opportunity to do well in education or employment. Imagine trying to start a new job or to go to school if you are living in emergency accommodation, not knowing where you will sleep that night. Imagine not being allowed into a café for a cup of tea and a sandwich as you had spent a few nights sleeping rough. Imagine having nowhere private to wash and shave each day.

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness

http://www.geog.ubc.ca/~ewyly/g350/homeless.pdf

http://www.simon.ie/uploads/File/Close%20to%20Home%20%20Homelessness%20Causes%20and%20Effects.pdf

Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture is agriculture landscape involving food growing and keeping animal in urban or built-up areas.

Urban agriculture in addition can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture,  agroforestry and horticulture. These activities also occur in peri-urban areas as well.

Urban agriculture provides a complementary strategy to reduce urban poverty and food insecurity and enhance urban environmental management. Urban agriculture plays an important role in enhancing urban food security since the costs of supplying and distributing food to urban areas based on rural production and imports continue to increase, and do not satisfy the demand, especially of the poorer sectors of the population. Next to food security, urban agriculture contributes to local economic development, poverty alleviation and social inclusion of the urban poor and women in particular, as well as to the greening of the city and the productive reuse of urban wastes (see below for further explanations and examples).

The importance of urban agriculture

1. Food security and nutrition

The contribution of urban agriculture to food security and healthy nutrition is probably its most important asset. Food production in the city is in many cases a response of the urban poor to inadequate, unreliable and irregular access to food, and the lack of purchasing power. 

2. Economic impacts

Growing your own food saves household expenditures on food; poor people in poor countries generally spend a substantial part of their income (50 – 70%) on food. Growing the relatively expensive vegetables therefore saves money as well as on bartering of produce. Selling produce (fresh or processed) brings in cash.

3. Social impacts

Urban agriculture may function as an important strategy for poverty alleviation and social integration.

4. Contributions to urban ecology

Urban agriculture is part of the urban ecological system and can play an important role in the urban environmental management system. 

Firstly, a growing city will produce more and more wastewater and organic wastes. For most cities the disposal of wastes has become a serious problem. Urban agriculture can help to solve such problems by turning urban wastes into a productive resource. 

Benefits of urban agriculture and given some examples of these benefits and real cities around the country.

Socially it

• Helps bring families and communities together by working toward a common goal that will be beneficial for all
• Gives direct links to food production
• Creates better living environment by greening up the city and making it more productive
• Makes people stronger by putting their food security into their own hands, making them more  independent and empowered
• Teaches people life skills such as how to be more self sufficient
• Creates jobs, income, and food
• Helps combat hunger
• Educate people, who have been increasingly removed from food production, to participate in, and respect, its generation 

Environmentally it

• Greens up the city
• Can help to clean air and rain water
• Helps to stop erosion and topsoil removal
• increases the amount of food grown and bought locally, decreasing carbon footprint
• Facilitates  reuse of wastes for food production
• Has direct impacts on urban ecology

Economically it

• Creates jobs and income from otherwise completely unproductive space
• Can be beneficial to people of any income
• Creates a better local economy that does not rely on food from far away
• Makes use of valuable resources, such as compost, that would otherwise go to waste in a city

Potential problems with urban agriculture.

• Polluted or contaminated soils
• Toxic chemicals
• Use of water
• Theft of produce and breaking laws to plant on some vacant lots

 Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_agriculture

http://www.ruaf.org/node/513

http://sidewalksprouts.wordpress.com/ua/benefits/

http://sidewalksprouts.wordpress.com/ua/problems/

Water Pollution

Urban areas have the potential to pollute water in many ways. Runoff from streets carries oil, rubber, heavy metals, and other contaminants from automobiles. Untreated or poorly treated sewage can be low in dissolved oxygen and high in pollutants such as fecal coliform bacteria, nitrates, phosphorus, chemicals, and other bacteria. Treated sewage can still be high in nitrates. Groundwater and surface water can be contaminated from many sources such as garbage dumps, toxic waste and chemical storage and use areas, leaking fuel storage tanks, and intentional dumping of hazardous substances. Air pollution can lead to acid rain, nitrate deposition, and ammonium deposition, which can alter the water chemistry of lakes.

Following is an overview of the problem, and some suggestions on how you can help keep storm drains clean.

Household Hazardous Waste

Pollution: Many household products we use daily contain toxic materials that can threaten public health and the environment. Drain and oven cleaners, paint thinners, and bathroom cleaners are just a few of the items we use that can cause serious health and environmental problems.

Solution:

• Dispose of all unused household hazardous wastes at your local disposal site.
• Use natural alternatives.

Fertilizers

Pollution: Fertilizers contain large amounts of chemicals that are good for lawns and plants when used properly. The main chemicals contained in fertilizers are nitrogen and phosphorus. These two chemicals can cause accelerated growth of aquatic plants in leading to oxygen depletion and large fish kills.

Solution:

• If you spill fertilizers, sweep them up, do not wash them into the streets and storm drains.
• Never apply fertilizers before a heavy rain is anticipated.
• Do not over apply fertilizers. More application does not mean a greener lawn, it means more watering and mowing. Testing soil.

Pesticides and Herbicides

Pollution: Pesticides and herbicides contain toxic materials that pose both environmental and human health risks. Humans, animals, aquatic organisms, and plants can be severely threatened by these chemicals. The toxins found in pesticides and herbicides can runoff lawns and gardens into storm drains and streams whenever it rains.

Solution:

• Minimize the use of pesticides and herbicides and use alternatives if possible.
• Make sure that all directions and warnings are read before use.

Paint

Pollution: When improperly used, paint can poison people and animals. Lead is an especially harmful content of some paints.

Solution:

• Donate your old paint to community groups.
• Dispose of oil-based and lead paints at your local household hazardous waste collection site

Anti-freeze

Pollution: Anti-freeze can seriously deplete oxygen from water, and can be harmful to all plant and animal life, including humans.

Solution:

• Recycle your used anti-freeze.
• Do not mix used anti-freeze with any other material.

Motor Oil

Pollution: Motor oil can damage or even kill aquatic vegetation and animal life. An oil slick - contaminating two million gallons of drinking water - can develop from one quart of oil.

Solution:

• Recycle your used motor oil.
• Never pour used motor oil down a storm drain or onto your grass or driveway.

Street Litter and Plastic

Pollution: Large quantities of street litter ends up floating in streams, rivers and lakes. Street litter is often made of plastics. Plastics take hundreds of years to biodegrade and can be harmful to birds and animals who mistake them for food.

Solution:

• Put litter into garbage cans, never throw it into storm drains or the street.
• Recycle as much plastic and other materials as possible.

Yard Waste

Pollution: Yard waste can clog storm drains making it difficult to carry away excessive amounts of water during storms.

Solution:

• Remove soil, leaves, and grass clippings form your driveway, street, or sidewalk.
• Compost grass clippings and other plant waste.

Pet Waste

Pollution: If left on yards, pet waste can release untreated bacteria and other harmful materials into streams.

Solution:

• Bury or flush pet wastes down the drain.

Water pollution can affect us:

• Directly – through consumption or bathing in a polluted stream (that involve consumption of municipal water, as well as bathing in polluted lakes or beach water).
• Indirectly – through the consumption of vegetables irrigated with contaminated water, as well as of fish or other animals that live in the polluted water or consume animals grown in the polluted water. This is many times more dangerous than being directly affected through consumption of water because some pollutants bioaccumulate in fish and living organisms (their concentration in fish could be several orders of magnitude higher than their water concentration). Additionally the toxins from the brown tide are strong and can travel via air affecting homeowners close to the beach.

Water may commonly be polluted by two main categories of pollutants (dissolved or suspended in water):

1. Chemicals – including natural or man-made (xenobiotics) chemicals that gets into a water body (dissolved or dispersed in the water) reaching concentrations of health concern; please note that similar with the case of air pollutants, the presence of such pollutants in water is not always obvious and may not be detected by our senses. Common problematic chemicals getting into water are pesticides, chlorinated solvents, petroleum chemicals, mercury, PCBs, dioxins and other persisting organic pollutants; as well as any of the tens of thousands of chemicals used in industrial processes.
2. Living organisms (as long as they are induced by human activity; please note that some waters unaffected by human activity may still be naturally polluted with some of these organisms – in which case, the caused diseases may not be seen as pollution diseases):
1. Pathogens – including a variety of living organisms (usually from animal waste) such as various species of viruses, bacteria, fungi and intestinal worms. Their presence in water, many times, remains unnoticed.
2. Algae – some types of algae are toxic and may overgrow due to the presence of nitrates and phosphates in runoff water (especially agricultural runoff); such overgrowth is usually referred to as “red tide” or “brown tides”. Their toxin may affect the food chain including fish and birds, and ultimately humans. Oxygen depletion in polluted water is another serious problem responsible for killing fishes. All over the world.

While the most common water pollution diseases involve poisoning episodes affecting the digestive system and human infectious diseases, water pollution may cause a large variety of health diseases including: 

• Infectious diseases caused by pathogens (usually microorganisms) from animal fecal origins, of which the most common occur in developing countries involving:
• Typhoid
• Giardiasis
• Amoebiasis
• Ascariasis
• Hookworm
• Diseases caused by polluted beach water including:
• Gastroenteritis
• Dhiarrhea
• Encephalitis
• Stomach craps and aches
• Vomiting
• Hepatitis
• Respiratory infections
• Liver damage and even cancer (due to DNA damage) – caused by a series of chemicals (e.g., chlorinated solvents, MTBE)
• Kidney damage caused by a series of chemicals
• Neurological problems - damage of the nervous system – usually due to the presence of chemicals such as pesticides (i.e., DDT)
• Reproductive and endocrine damage including interrupted sexual development, inability to breed, degraded immune function, decreased fertility and increase in some types of cancers – caused by a series of chemicals including endocrine disruptors – which
• Thyroid system disorders (a common example is exposure through perchlorate which is a chemical contaminating large water bodies such as Colorado River)
• Increased water pollution creates breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes killing 1.2-2.7 million people a year
• A series of less serious health effects could be associated by bathing into contaminated water (i.e, polluted beach water) including:
• Rashes
• Ear aches
• Pink eyes

Reference:

http://www.gdrc.org/uem/water/watershed/urban-water-pollution.html

http://www.sccdistrict.com/resubwt.htm

http://www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/water/diseases/