Terra IncognITa of The SpecTacle (DrafT)

Speculative Satellite Imaging of Temporal Geospatial Knowledge for Collective Initiative by Bora Shin

B.F.A., Graphic Design with Concentration degree, Environmental Design Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, 2004

Submitted to the Program in Media Design, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at the Art Center College of Design.

December 2011

Thesis Advisors Tim Durfee, lead Molly Wright Steenson, writing Elise Co, adjunct Jennifer Krasinski, adjunct

In T roD u c T Io n
Aerial and satellite images, known as remotely sensed images, permit accurate representations of land cover and make landscape features understandable on regional, continental, and even global scales.1 The satellite representations of Earth from the aerial perspective have a long history of radicalizing warfare, science, and urban design through geographic knowledge. For all intent and 1 purposes, these objective representations serve as privileged resources, providing synoptic views in different parts of Earths environments. These technologies shift peoples perception toward geographic knowledge; it creates new perception to spatial scale; it changes how people instantaneously connect to societal events; it allows ordinary citizens the opportunity to provide feedback all based on the geospatial imaging. In recent years, due to a rapid growth in GIS technology and the accessibilization of satellite imagery, location has become a core component in accessing daily information. The prospect of increase in the support of geospatial functionality in mobile devices will result in more geospatial-dependent infrastructures in near future. As seen with traditional forms of infrastructure such as electrical grids or highway networks, this widespread use of geographic knowledge will cause a high dependency.2 Satellite imaging and GIS technology are examples of phenomena derived by an advancement in technology. Meanwhile, open-source culture in the information age gives opportunity for citizens to collectively participate in iterating existing infrastructure and, at the same time, allow for the design of new environments. The democratization of satellite images and geospatial data is critical in initiating collective participation to modify geographic content using GIS tools. Distributing geographic knowledge, and allowing everyone to interact with the Earths panoramas using tools such as Google Earth, creates new bases of perception and projection.3 This access in representation and tools in everyday use not only abstracts the sense of scale but also gives objective satellite imaging different rhetorical functions. Many people today draw connections to these images, resulting in a natural tendency to conduct morphological analysis in the specific location of an individuals choice. Images give different affordances through temporal documentation of geographic location through satellite imaging, serving as tools for
1 USGS Aerial Photographs and Satellite Images. USGS, Sept 1997. Web. Dec 2011. <http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/aerial/aerial.html> 2 Pousin, Frederi.Aerial Views and the Future of Metropolitan Paris. Scales of the Earth, New Geographies 4. El Hadi Jazairy. Hong Kong: Harvard University Press, 2011. 65-72 3 Dangerond, Jack.Geography by Design. Scales of the Earth, New Geographies 4. El Hadi Jazairy. Hong Kong: Harvard University Press, 2011. 152-155

shaping public opinions in current society. The ability to radicalize our environment with geographic visualization is no longer an action limited to specialized fields like science, urban design and government industry. It is, instead, made possible by ordinary citizens. While there are many issues to overcome in order to make GIS technology affective 2 in building infrastructures that will have a greater use for our humanity, I find it critical to remain open to the potential for further development of the GIS tools use for a collective voice. Expanding the technological understanding of how satellite images are photographed, and creating intentional rhetorical function to how satellite images are used for various context using geospatial knowledge are design opportunities. Creating methods to allow people to proactively engage in the process can raise current critical issues revolves around GIS field, and make the satellite image documentation process transparent. Utilizing latency in access and dissemination of canonical documentation reveals condition within system which people can take advantage in raising these issues. Creating speculative narratives is one method that can inform possible alternative potentials. For my project, I define these images as the Spectacle of the 21st Century. The research will inform and create speculative scenarios in how people might leave marks in satellite images revealing both current implications and possible potential for GIS technology. Im interested in speculating types of behaviors and cultural phenomenons derived by the individuals and/or communities to fulfill desires to achieve local missions within the context of a hyper documented world with both high access and dissemination of these phenomena. By creating imaginary satellite images informed by this series of speculative scenarios, resources will populate for the second part of the project called Terra Incognita to inform the creation of subjective maps inspired by the methods of the Participatory GIS practice. In the following section of this paper there is context for historical references and current practices to provide further framework for my thesis project.

hI S T or Ic a l ref erenc e S a nD c urren T pr ac T Ic e S

1: Background of Digital Satellite Imaging The advancement of the digital imagery technology was developed in the early 1960s at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory along with a few other research institutions. The space program was one of many that was influenced by digital imaging technology, such as in the satellite. The first real3 time optical observation was made possible by the invention of electro-optical digital transmission system in the military surveillance KH-11 satellite. KH-11 replaced the KH-9 photographic film reconnaissance satellite that depended on the film based images for geographic interpretation. The method of distributing these satellite images was completely revolutionized by the electro-optical reconnaissance system which transmitted geographic data through a network of communication satellites. Such technological development allowed for the monitoring of Soviet Union in realtime, after WWII. These images dramatically improved Americas knowledge of Soviet including the capabilities and activities of other nations by leveraging aerial, geospatial, imaging,4 strictly reserved for government use. In the 1970s, the launch of ERTS (Earth Resources Technology Satellite) catalyzed a shift in the use of satellite imaging technology in contrast to surveillance purpose such as KH satellites expanding our knowledge of the environment around us to this day, no satellite program has ever surpassed the breakthroughs of ERTS.5 The ERTS which was later renamed as Landsat satellite program is the first commercial satellite program launched by the U.S. government and managed by NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS) collecting information about Earth. Through this program the remote sensing technology matured, using digital photographs to gather data regarding natural resources on surfaces of the earth, evaluating: agricultural; water resources; environmental pollution; land use change; deforestation rates and population growth. Observation helped assess damage from natural disasters and subsequently, plan disaster relief and flood control programs.6 A total of 7 Landsat satellites have launched since the beginning of this program, collecting various land resource data that are solely owned under the U.S government. It is not until the mid 1980s that U.S. Congress decided land satellites could be privatized for commercial use. The decision was motivated by seeing other countries that began launching very capable Earthimaging satellites and making that imagery available for sale. In order to stay competitive, the
4 Richelson, Jeffrey T. National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No.13, U.S. Satellite Imagery, 1960-1999. George Washington University, 1999. Web. Dec 2011. <http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB13/> 5 Short, Nicholas M. Remote Sensing Tutorial Introduction. NASA, Web. 2011. Web. Dec 2011. <http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Intro/Part2_15.html> 6 The Numbers Behind Landsat. NASA, Web. Dec 2011. <http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/>.

U.S. government allowed selected American companies acknowledged as Earth Observation Satellite Company (EOSAT), to have some rights in managing geospatial data under government regulation. During the EOSAT era, the given responsibilities of selected companies were archiving, collecting and distributing Landsat data as well as the responsibility for building, launching and operating the Landsat 6 and 7 satellites.7 The Prioritization of geospatial data for commercial use rather than 4 scientific mission languished Landsat coverage due to a lack of immediate buyers. The implication of such cause for effect in establishing Land Remote Sensing Policy Act in 1992 to support further commercial growth in remote sensing by removing unnecessary restrictions on the dissemination of privately gathered data, streamlining the licensing process for private remote sensing systems, and encouraging growth of the market for remote sensing data by pricing federally provided data at the cost of fulfilling user requests, but no higher.8 Most of the current base-line satellite data are abled through what was collected by Landsat in past 40 years, and currently many of these data are open resources. With more up-todate technology, they are now considered low resolution images (30 square meters) compared to current commercial satellites (0.5 square meters) sold to Google and Microsoft. However, the low resolution Landsat data are still made use of by filling in for the locations that have yet to be documented by high-resolution commercial satellites. As represented in fig 1, almost all parts of the world have been documented by satellite imagery as of current date, revealing a high degree of geographic documentation through remote sensing technology.

Fig 1: Bing imagery covers the globe with varying detail levels. Most of the globe is only available as very low resolution satellite imagery. This is effectively NASA Landsat imagery forming the base-line for any areas where Bing does not have better imagery coverage. (Image Source: Open Street Map)

7 The History ofSatellite Imagery. GeoEye, Web. Dec 2011. <http://www.geoeye.com/GeoEye101/what-is-geospatial/ satellite-history.aspx>. 8 George Bush: Statement on Signing the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992, October 28, 1992. Web. Dec 2011. <http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=21693>.

I find it critical to understand the motivation shifts both in present and historical contexts of the intentions behind gathering satellite images. The militaristic use of remote technology can result in the destruction of mankind, where as use in the sciences can allow for the development of a valuable record of natural and human-induced changes on the global landscape. Contrasting the affordances of these two cases raises this criticality. Current uses of this 5 technology are increasingly driven by corporate and commercial use, the satellite images are no longer solely analytical, scientific, data, but is instead the byproduct of our digital culture, considered to be one of the biggest commodity in use. My thesis will include these aspects to establish an over-arching value in the project. I am not only interested in finding a critical position towards current logistics revolved around satellite images, but also interested in discovering the affordances of satellite documentation that is leveraged as a historical archive for humanistic purpose. The consistency of Landsat data acquired through the years allows direct comparison of specific geographic locations to reveal land-cover changes over period of time (fig 2). USGS reached nearly 2.5 million Landsat scenes for the U.S. archive, and thanks to the open data initiative some are now available free for use by the public.9

Fig 2: Three decades of Mississippi Delta sediment deposition from the Mississippi-Missouri River system eroded debris. The left image was acquired on January 16, 1973; the middle image on March 12, 1989; and the right image on January 6, 2003. (Image Source: USGS)

By revisiting on this fact, I am interested in the canonical documentation aspects of both collective and individual levels of human behavior, in the scale of a satellite on the Earths surface. I am interested in leveraging narrative of individuals, historical marks, and existential evidence through the satellite documentation on Earths landscape as design problems (fig 3).

9 Headley, Rachel. Landsat: A Global Land-Imaging Project. USGS, May, 2010. Web PDF. Dec 2011. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/ fs/2010/3026/>.

Fig 3: This photo illustrates the scale of satellite pixel based on different types of satellites. Basing on the technical specification of if this person wants appear by the medium resolution satellite, she needs to be able to cover the whole one spatial pixel area. To be appeared by the high spatial resolution satellite, less effort will be required compare to the medium resolution satellite.

A Human-Swarm System in the urban space, and temporal structures to be seen are some of the possible ideas to explore this direction. Imagining the Spectacles derived out of proposed ideas in the form of archive like the Landsat data will add a critical perspective to the design in this context.

2: Geospatial Documentation and Technology Online maps, like Mapquest, have been available for years, creating a cultural dependence on online mapping tools to get directions to different locations. The affordance of online mapping completely shifted in year 2005 with the success of interactive online maps. A rise in the accessibility of wifi remote devices with built-in GPS systems and geo-locative technologies motivated a complete restructuring of web content to complement the actual geography around people.10 This was the start of location-based services, allowing people to integrate geospatial data into their daily intake of information. As a result, the search industry (Google, Yahoo and Microsoft) started building new platforms to organize local search results according to geographic location. Mapping tools by these companies each had their own known strengths. While Google Earth allows the viewer to take a virtual flight over satellite (or aerial) photographs with the option of exploring 3D renders of locations at the street-view level, Yahoo made it easy for users
10 Geography Goes Online. Technology Review, Oct, 2005. Web. Dec 2011. <http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article. aspx?id=14859&ch=web&a=f>.

to add their own reviews of local businesses. The Google, Yahoo and Microsoft systems eventually established common standards for interactive mapping tool by integrating street view, satellite view, hybrid view, accessing traffic information, Microsofts Bing map was the first to establish the Birds Eye Images, the 45-degree-angle view into their map (fig 4). With an increase in competition for the best online mapping amongst these companies, the Birds Eye Images distinguished 7 Microsofts map from others by providing a more natural view of a city. Google has also recently launched the 45-degree-angle view, but it is only available in a selection of cities for now.

Fig 4: View of National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. by Bings Birds Eye Image (Image Source: Bing Map)

The 45-degree-angle images are a combination of satellite images and images captured by the high-resolution cameras on small, piston-powered aircrafts that fly over the cities at low altitudes. In December 2007, Microsoft began sending airplanes equipped with automatic-firing digital cameras and large hard drives. The images taken by those airplanes span 12 U.S. cities, and were then stitched together using sophisticated software developed by their company partner, Pictometry.11 The photo taking vehicles designed to collect geospatial data developed by each of these companies share a similar approach to street-level image gathering. Google Street Views vehicles (car, trike, snowmobile, and trolley) gather images by using a 360-degree panorama camera (fig 5). These images are taken with GPS sensors to identify the location of the images. Then, using their image processing algorithms, the images are seamlessly stitched together. In order to achieve more natural look of street view, the images are reprojected onto a sphere with data collected by the 3D
11 Acohido, Byron. Microsofts Bing Maps Extends Birds Eye View of the World. USA Today, Mar, 2010. Web. Dec 2011. <http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2010/03/bing-maps-extends-birds-eye-view-of-the-world/1>.

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scan, a mapping tool originally established for remote sensing technology in evaluating bare earth surface (fig 6).

Fig 5: (From top to bottom) Original photos, stitched photo creating continuous panorama, image reprojected onto sphere with LiDAR data. (Image Source: Google)

Fig 6: LiDAR in use (Left) Google 3D Architectural Model, (Right) Bare Earth Digital Elevation Model (Image Source: Google, AeroMap, Inc.)

Fig 7: (Left to Right) Street View Car, Street View Trike, Street View Snowmobile, Street View Trolley (Image Source: Google)

These vehicles are icons of our information culture (fig 7). They symbolize our inclination to celebrate a technological way of documenting both familiar and unfamiliar environments, including the mundane and unexpected moments on the street, from the air to public indoor

spaces. Although above mentioned aspect of locational documentation does reveal a hyper documented tendency of our current digital culture, these documentations are highly controlled products based on each companys technological capabilities developed on their own. Therefore, each documentation, like as the 45-degree-angle images and the street view images, are an iconic 9 trope that represents each companys technological advancements. For this reason, I will be focusing on the documentation aspect of the satellite, which consists of much more complex layers of dissemination and distribution of geospatial data due to its longer historical existence. Although I am intentionally focusing on the satellite documentation, the spirit of reverting the use of Google street view as street photography by artists such as Jon Rafman, and Michael Wolf will apply by implementing a photo journalistic, and artistic, approach of collecting captured moments in order to give satellite documentation rhetorical functions in various contexts, from mundane to societal events.

3: Satellite Images for Humanitarian Use with PGIS The satellite industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite the global economic downturn, the industry has displayed a 19 percent growth in revenue, totaling $144.4 billion in the year 2008 alone according to the Satellite Industry Association. The industry has grown at a steady rate of 14.2 percent, in average, from 2003 to 2008. This exponential revenue increase can be found in sectors including: ground equipment, satellite manufacturing, launch industry, and satellite services (fig 8).

Fig 8: World revenue by of satellite industry reported by the Satellite Industry Association

The images sold to Google maps and Microsofts Bing maps are acquired by the commercial satellite companies such as Digital Globe and GeoEye. DigitalGlobes primary satellites such as QuickBird or GeoEyes GeoEye-1 satellite, satellites collecting images for Google are considered to be high-resolution satellite, that can acquire images detailed upto 0.41 square meters (16 feet). Although they are technologically capable in collecting images at such resolutions, under the U.S. 10 government regulation, it is distributed to market at 0.5 square meters, which are the resolution of what public can access through using interactive mapping tools. Unless observed closely it is hard to distinguish the differences in image resolution or to distinguish which areas are updated. The satellite images accessible on Google and Bing are not all covered by the high resolution satellites. Google for instance, in average updates satellite images every three years, only in selected parts of the world at a time. Therefore, the base coverage on un-update areas are images that was acquired by the Landsat, which is considered to be medium (30 square meters) to low resolution satellites. The satellite images are critical part in mapping practice such in participatory GIS as well as in use for disaster monitoring purpose. The satellites for disaster monitoring purpose acquires far larger areas of imagery than Landsat satellites. They are designed to be comparable to Landsat imagery to leverage technical expertise used by the Landsat community. The main purpose for these satellites is to provide rapid updates of images than the Landsat, therefore allows to establish quick responses in the areas that are in need. The cases with before and after image comparison during Katrina as well as Haiti through Google Earth imagery are provided by the disaster monitoring satellites. It is able to distribute images with 24 hours cycle to meet the U.S. regulations, for public to view. The use of satellite technology has became a pivotal tool for allowing citizens around the world to collectively document and monitor global events. The Satellite Sentinel Project, is an example of humanitarian initiative for Sudan initiated through a collaboration between the United Nations UNITAR Operational Satellite Applications Programme, Google, DigitalGlobe, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, with star-power Not on our Watch group (George Clooney and Brad Pitt). It marks the first sustained, public, effort to systematically monitor and report in near real-time (within 24-36 hours) in order to avoid human rights crime before they occur. The project applies a star-powered publicity method to bring humanitarian initiative to the satellite scale in order to allow the public to contribute to projects fundraising. Project called All Human Rights is another example of a humanitarian project with a focus on the use of a satellite for social good, in this case as an attempt to bring affordable Internet to the developing world by purchasing its own

satellite, while publicly updating the bidding process to establish public knowledge regarding accessibility of technology around the globe. The satellite images used for such cases are not solely for monitoring purposes, but are also the basis for participatory map making. The Satellite Sentinel Project initiates public participation through PGIS practice (Participatory GIS) using Google Map Maker to establish awareness, 11 changing geographical involvement through the use of collaborative map making as a method of knowledge production. While using satellite images to produce maps is not a new method, for practices like PGIS, issues regarding accessibility and licensing for the public use of these satellite images are critical. A raised awareness of the importance and effective usage of the PGIS practice, like the Open Street Map, will result in an increase in community-based initiatives. These initiatives aim to record, organize, visualize and geo-reference indigenous spatial knowledge using the participatory GIS. Based on these references mentioned, the use of satellite images in the map making practice is where I see the potential for adding psychogeography aspect into my thesis. The groundwork set for psychogeography by Kevin Lynch and Debord in the 50s, is a method seeking for representation of the ambiance, or the essence associated with a place through map making. It attempts to include ones emotional experiences derived by measuring human things, representing subjective human experiences. Map making of geographic location bases with satellite documentation of speculative scenario of people who intended to be photographed will bring different narratives and affordances to map production. The second part of the project, Terra Incognita, will use participatory map making as possible story telling of historical event, recording and archiving the Spectacles.

pro jec T
1: Earlier Process and Reflection There are recurring themes evident in the earlier work produced during my masters study regarding the social and cultural implications of a digital ecology, the representation of immaterial qualities in a digital environment, and a re-appropriation of our physical worlds 12 familiar qualities into the digital environment. These themes reveal and reflect the transition from my pervious focus in traditional graphic design, to a digital media practice. An exposure to various design methods such as technology driven media design, productive interaction, critical and speculative design, people-knowing, and design research, merged with my earlier practice of information design as story telling and book design through material and form study, has an influence that is reflected in my thesis work. Inspired by social design practices, I aspire to merge diverse areas of interest with further research into areas of participatory data visualization, media archeology, ethnographic story telling, and the democratization of data, in the context of urban computing, thereby setting direction for my thesis. It took some time to position my thesis direction in a way that can accommodate all or most of my interests into a project that can have both a practical and speculative edge.

Fig 9: Visual research

I begin with the interest in developing a design approach that deals with the representation of data through materiality and immateriality. I layer these representations with a combination of public and immaterial space, such as hertzian space (electromagnetic fields transmitting information within electronic devices), in order to raise critical dialogue around

the control and privatization of information in an urban computing context. The main drive of setting this parameter is to explore collaborative communication methods that give autonomous and creative voices of expression within a confined system. In order to set research parameters between the immaterial and material space, for both visual and literary research, I start with glitches and unintentional moments captured by a consistent technological system. Some of 13 the visual research that resulted from this phase includes a collection of glitches on Google street view, abstracted render of terrain in certain geographic locations using Google Earth, (fig 9) and glitches that occurred during the scanning process of Google Books. What I found interesting in all these images was not so much the visual quality but rather the unintended documentation that takes place through technology. This unexpected aesthetic is created when the technology intended to document a specific moment is interrupted by the in-between of its capture. In a way, the root of these glitches reveal a narrative quality from the technological point of view as if the technological system is trying to represent certain moments that exist beyond its own capability and condition to interpret them. This early image research focused my research towards creating a narrative system that one can use by taking advantage of everyday tools, like Google street view, that has the ability to systematically document from the gods eye view. What if it more frequently gathered images? A more frequent capture can create more chances for individuals to be captured, therefore producing an archive of ones self. However, the time frame in which one will be documented is determined by the systems own standards of when and where it chooses to document the moment. It is a routine un-related to the individuals own timeframe. Therefore, it is possible to create alternative narratives of when and where one existed, potentially documenting ones existence in multiple locations simultaneously. Although systematic documentation was the initial framework for the direction of my thesis, I became less interested in the aesthetics of glitches. I found the visual quality captured during the scanning process in Google Books much more appropriate for the topics of my interests. The more poetic quality and the potential for subjectivity and imagination, when taken out of the context of Google Books, is rich in connections with the heart of my perspective. The fragmentation of text and the visible hand gestures can be read as if they are intended to be a part of the books narrative (fig 10).

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Fig 10: Errors found in Google Books

Such suggestive qualities existed less in the Google street view, and I was interested to see how such an everyday familiar tool can be re-appropriated to allow one to create their own subjective narratives and memories on locations of interest.

Fig 11: Images created from the Subjective Expression Tool using Google street view layering videos in After Effects

The next experiment creates video sketches using the Google street view informed by these interests. The experiment explores possible tools that allow one to create a subjective representation of ones own memory of a particular city through four different type of tools (fig 11): fragmented remembrance, blurry moments, layering a memory from another location, and replicating mental imagery.

In order to study further how one can create meaning in spaces, the next series of experiments conducts interviews to study how people draw emotional connections through the use of memory as a tool for dialogue. The driving questions behind this research are: Does the meaning making process create something that can be documented? If so, can it materialize into meaningful artifacts, ones that resemble a place that no longer exists?, or places that are ephemeral in digital 15 spaces? The interview was driven by a series of questions. The process was loosely structured so as to allow space for new interview questions in response to the observations of conversations that centered around the places that remain in the memory of the participant. There were five sets of interviews with 19 people, each of which are documented using video and sound to record the process. All five interviews are valuable learning process and interesting studies because they give insight into how people make marks based on their recollection of a space. Out of the five interviews, below are highlights of two interviews that informed my next experiment. Interview 2_ Layers of Sensed Memories: I asked people to think of one place that holds a significant meaning in their life, and had them start drawing the space right away. The reason for this activity is to see if people remember places that they did not have a chance to verbalize, differently through drawing. Once the drawing was completed, I placed tracing paper on top of the illustration, and asked people to identify specific memories associated with the sense of hearing, touch, and scent. This method was applied in order to tease out specific senses based on their memory map of place they created. At the end, I asked them to do a process of elimination, an exercise that asked the participant to make choices between what they wished to keep, and what they wished to eliminate based on memory. Interview 4 _ Whats the address of the place you no longer can visit? For this interview, I was curious to know how one holds meaning in places that no longer exist. Places stripped of all trace and physical presence. I asked people to write down the address of a place they no longer can visit, and then had them discuss the reasons why. This then led to the Interview 5_ Searchable/Non-Searchable: Based on the places people identified in 4th interview, I asked people to draw or write something that they wished they could keep as a memory from the place that no longer exist. Then, I asked them to identify the elements within the space that they think its searchable (using search engine), and non-searchable. The purpose of this was to distinguish the difference between how people respond to the material they can search with their memory vs. the material that is non-searchable.

Through the data and observations that were collected during these interviews, I produced a series of web cinemas. The purpose of this experiment was to contrast the subjective, emotional, quality with found technological aesthetics to establish a personal narrative within an environment like the Google street view. The web cinema was created by using the content of the memory maps and voice narrations that resulted from the interviews in combination with 16 technological glitch aesthetics as a way to establish a subjective aesthetic that aimed to represent memory. Also upon putting the searchable and unsearchable lists into the search engines, a contrast between the narrators lost and desired items was discovered. At this point in my process, it became critical for me to specify an interest in collective subjective expressions, but a differentiation between the representation of shared experiences versus shared places, in the context of collective representation, was important. It made me realize that an experience can not exist without a place, making the two inseparable. Although that is fairly true, in the context of collective representation, it is important to make a clear distinction between experience and place to better determine the method of exploration for the subjective versus the objective representation. Another aspect which led me to establish a clearer framework for my thesis after my committee meeting, was to shift the focus of the project in response to the affordance of the documentations content. Instead of just focusing on documenting subjective representations in contrast to the objective technological environment, I am framing my thesis around the issue of documentation in the context of the hyper documented world. What places are being documented? What places are not? The work examines forgotten places that result from system glitches as opposed to visual glitches. Based on research that investigates the location of a systems glitches that are the cause of undocumented spaces, I began to look more deeper into the satellite documentation, especially through Trevor Paglens archive of undocumented spaces. Through researching all different types of technology that enables the documentation of public spaces, I have come to the conclusion that leveraging satellite documentation and the affordances of GIS as a design problem is a strong direction for further exploration.

2: Current Framework & Next Term Plan Speculative design is a means of speculating on how things could be. It aims to open up new perspectives for discussion and debate about alternative ways of being, and to inspire and encourage peoples imaginations to flow freely Anthony Dunne

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Considering the prospect of releasing 20 years worth unprecedented geospatial data to the public, initiated by The Google Earth Engine and Landsat Project combined with emerging practices like PGIS, what ways can design engage in this emerging phenomenon? What are communication tools that can result from speculation, and be grounded by in-depth research to mediate and empower citizens to engage in the 21st century spectacle? How does an extensive knowledge of satellite technology affect the scale of a design intervention? Through the present and historical references highlighted thus far as my thesis framework, I define my thesis as an incubator for design research methods centered around emerging satellite technology that is applied in the PGIS practice. As I go into next term I plan to answer the following questions: What are ways to establish comprehensive tools to expand spatial knowledge to be documented by the satellite? 1. Various uses of materials can be applied to temporal structures to make oneself visible considering geographical and environmental conditions. (Concept similar to Geospatial Cosmetic) 2. Color application and control of light luminosity through the image reading and understanding of satellite photosynthesis 3. Communication systems in an urban community to call for a swarm action

What are possible myths that can be developed within the areas that are less knowledgeable in the capabilities of satellite technology? (ex: the underdeveloped world and indigenous communities) 1. Swarm activities driven by myths can created using the communitys public clock based on the satellite location, in real time 2. Possible local initiative in gathering natural materials to build temporal structures in order to be documented by the satellite

What type of peculiar activities and behaviors will result in the metropolitan areas in order to be documented? 1. 2. Transit as collective vs individual Large wearable for individuals to cover the minimum spatial parameter to cover spatial pixels in relation to the different types of satellites in passing 18 3. Collective temporal textual and/or graphical messaging surfaces, or light materials using exact geographic location positioning (Concept like Communal Texting in the Suburban area) Create a participatory map based on these satellite images: 1. 2. What types of subjective maps can we derive from these scenarios? What are systems that can be established based on geospatial data that specifically highlight these moments? 3. 4. What types of narratives will these maps be translated into when they are archived? What historical value will these maps have when future generations reflect back on this period? 5. How will it alternate the ways we look at current urban space?

The research of accurate technological facts about satellites have enabled questions to be posed through speculative and critical design, and will be a resource as I move into the next term. The Visual Literature on Remote Sensing will be one of my first initiatives in translating research into comprehensive literature. By establishing these methods and exploring the design exercises discussed in this paper, the potential use of geospatial literacy for educational use in the contexts mentioned in the series of questions above is made clear.

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