This diploma project is an expedition into urban computing, an emerging multi-disciplinary research field that focuses on computing and digital networks in urban contexts and on the cultural and social impact this has on the city. The ‘Adventures in Urban Computing’ is a study of how mobile technology devices can be used as instruments for participatory urban studies. It develops and tests experimental devices that raise urban awareness over time and can facilitate informed discussion.

The project is situated between urbanism and interaction design and works specifically with designing mobile technology devices with the purpose of provoking and gathering opinions about everyday life in cities and towns.

Framework
The first half of the project is a theoretical approach to the field where urban computing is placed, traced and discussed within a framework of current writings on ubiquitous computing, urban studies, technology and design. The framework is made up of critical perspectives from the contemporary urban computing discourse and including among others Anne Galloway, Paul Dourish, Genevieve Bell, Adam Greenfield and Stephen Graham. The central conclusions are these:

• Urban computing research may fruitfully be grounded in the daily practices of the present and not lead by architectural and technological fantasies of the metropolis of tomorrow.

• Urban computing research requires a fundamental cross disciplinary focus. A broader understanding of urban computing includes alternative perspectives and values to the discourse and to the design process.

• The understanding of urban computing and its implications must move beyond real vs virtual conceptual binaries. In daily life digital technology and “real” spaces can not be seen as separate domains.

• Urban computing belongs in the broader context of digital technology in everyday life. It should be understood in relation to both domestic practices and general network culture.

• Urban computing research should take the messiness of everyday life as its central theme. Computing and digital networks will never become the seamless and orderly utopia envisioned in traditional ubicomp research.

These conclusions set a scope within urban computing research that is narrower than the general ‘ubicomp of the city’ interpretation of the field. ‘Adventures in Urban Computing’ is not about everything from security, city maintenance, interactive architecture to sensor networks and spectacular near-future technologies. It is about designing interactions for exploring city usage within the daily practices of today and re-imagining the already mundane network devices of everyday life.

Interruptors
The second part of the diploma is a set of practical explorations that take these reflections as its starting point. These explorations investigates how mobile devices can be used to gather and provoke opinions about the city and how this can raise the awareness of daily urban environments. They focuses on how digital networks and information technologies can be used in collaborative city studies and in strategies/concepts for citizen participation.

The outcome of these studies is the Interruptor experiments. The Interruptors are urban computing prototypes that focuses on the behaviour of mobile devices in relation to the personal urban experience. The Interruptors are a result of experimental device design and fieldwork. The Interruptors are based on an analysis of the behavioral characteristics of the mobile phone. This analysis concludes that the interruptive character of the mobile phone may be an ideal initiator for observation on daily life and the city. This is not a feature of the technological platform, but of the usage of the phone. The interruption is a way for the phone to weave into the daily life.

The Interruptors is a series of devices that interrupts you and asks you to make observations. The Interruptors are networked, location-aware and are meant to be used for long periods of time in order to probe your responses everyday environments. The devices gather observations and opinions and encourage city exploration. The Interrruptor studies conclude in workshops and promotes informed discussions about urban environments. The Interruptors where developed thorough extensive fieldwork and tests and are illustrated though hypothetical case studies of collaborative city analysis and neighbourhood initiatives.

The diploma report can be downloaded here.

More pictures can be found here.

Yesterday I delivered the diploma. I will do a writeup when I have regenerated my mana. Thanks to all how have been helping me.

I´ve just been out taking scenario-photos of the final Interruptor (camera) prototype. The battery-life is bad and its so shiny that its difficult to take pictures of. Apart from this its an ok experience prototype. Its main function in the diploma is as concept illustration.

I´m building an “Interruptive camera” as a descriptive device. It´s just a dummy: a hacked phone inside a neat wooden shell. I hope it will help with describing some aspects of the concepts. It´s also a nice task to have lying around now that I have to write all day.

I´m in the final phase of my diploma and had the last “mycity” drawing/mapping workshop today. We mapped out nodes, routes, zones, gems, shadows, dragons and rainbows… And located the photos and notes from the interruptive notebooks. Thanks to Una, Ingeborg and Jørn.

With a little help from Jørn I managed to finish the first three working probes before I left for DUX. It´s three interruptive notebooks. You turn it on when you go outdoors, put it in your pocket and it will interrupt you at random intervals. When the notebooks calls for your attention (by vibrating) you have to answere one on the questions (tasks) in the book. The books have different themes (People, Rythm and Sense) and the questions have to be answered within these contexts.  As a concept-test Una, Ingeborg and Jørn will be using the probes while I´m away and we will run a workshop as soon as I get back.

Spending a day in the wood workshop is always quite refreshing. The first batch of proper probes is almost done and will be in action while I´m at DUX.

The diploma-work is progressing. Most weeks consist of electronics, programming, building, a little layout, writing and sorting out what I’m actually doing. Today I’ve been working on a front-end mock-up of the webservice side of the project (and been wrestling with google-maps: which are ubiquitous but not very good!)

This is an preliminary prototype of a device that interrupts you while you move through the city. Its the first of a series of devices designed to studie “everyday life as urban infrastructure”. More on this later.

Friday 14.09.07 I was one of the speakers at the first day of the Urban Interface conference in Oslo . It was a quite interesting event and a good opportunity to present my diploma-thoughts to a diverse audience. I presented my views on urban computing and urban gaming, and gave a slight preview of my diploma. I got interesting feedback, and I think the event can help me focus my concept/project. It was also a great exercise in communicating my research-work and discussing it outside the school-context.

I´ve uploaded my presentation and notes here: “Urban Computing and the Temple of Doom”

And I´ve been asked to gather a link-list from the talk:

• “Urban Atmospheres” at Intel Berkley : http://www.urban-atmospheres.net/
• “Jabberwocky” : http://www.urban-atmospheres.net/Jabberwocky/index.htm
• “Imity” : http://www.imity.com/
• “Urban Probes” : http://www.urban-atmospheres.net/UrbanProbes/index.htm
• “PacManhatten” : http://pacmanhattan.com/
• “ConQwest” : http://www.playareacode.com/work/conqwest/
• “GTA IV” : http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/
• “San Francisco Zombie Mob” : http://eatbrains.com/
• “StreetWars” : http://www.streetwars.net/
• “Institute of PanGalactic Studies” : http://pangalacticstudies.com/
  

  
  

  “