Locative media

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Locative media are media of communication functionally bound to a location. The physical implementation of locative media however is not bound to the same location to which the contents refers.

Locative media are digital media applied to real places and thus triggering real social interactions. While mobile technologies such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), laptop computers and mobile phones enable locative media, they are not the goal for the development of projects in this field. As described by Headmap author Ben Russell:

"Locative media is many things: A new site for old discussions about the relationship of consciousness to place and other people. A framework within which to actively engage with, critique, and shape a rapid set of technological developments. A context within which to explore new and old models of communication, community and exchange. A name for the ambiguous shape of a rapidly deploying surveillance and control infrastructure."[1]

Contents

[edit] Locative, ubiquitous and pervasive computing

The term 'locative media' was coined by Karlis Kalnins.[2] Locative media is closely related to augmented reality (reality overlaid with virtual reality) and pervasive computing (computers everywhere, as in ubiquitous computing). Whereas augmented reality strives for technical solutions, and pervasive computing is interested in embedded computers, locative media concentrates on social interaction with a place and with technology. Many locative media projects have a social, critical or personal (memory) background.

While strictly spoken, any kind of link to additional information set up in space (together with the information that a specific place supplies) would make up location-dependent media, the term locative media is strictly bound to technical projects. Locative media works on locations and yet many of its applications are still location-independent in a technical sense. As in the case of digital media, where the medium itself is not digital but the content is digital, in locative media the medium itself might not be location-oriented, whereas the content is location-oriented.

Japanese mobile phone culture embraces location-dependent information and context-awareness. It is projected that in the near future locative media will develop to a significant factor in everyday life.

[edit] Enabling technologies

Locative media projects use technology such as Global Positioning System (GPS), laptop computers, the mobile phone, Geographic Information System (GIS), Google Maps. Whereas GPS allows for the accurate detection of a specific location, mobile computers allow interactive media to be linked to this place. The GIS supplies arbitrary information about the geological, strategic or economic situation of a location. Google Maps give a visual representation of a specific place. Another important new technology that links digital data to a specific place is radio-frequency identification (RFID), a successor to barcodes like Semacode.

Research that contributes to the field of locative media happens in fields such as pervasive computing, context awareness and mobile technology. The technological background of locative media is sometimes referred to as "location-aware computing".[3]

[edit] Examples

See also: GPS drawing and sound art

Design scholars Anne Galloway and Matt Ward state that "various online lists of pervasive computing and locative media projects draw out the breadth of current classification schema: everything from mobile games, place-based storytelling, spatial annotation and networked performances to device-specific applications."[4]

A prominent use of locative media is in locative art.[5] A sub-category of interactive art or new media art, locative art explores the relationships between the real world and the virtual or between people, places or objects in the real world.

Notable locative media projects include Bio Mapping by Christian Nold in 2004,[6] locative art projects such as the SpacePlace ZKM/ZKMax bluecasting and participatory urban media access in Munich in 2005[7] and Britglyph by Alfie Dennen in 2009,[8] and location-based games such as AR Quake by the Wearable Computer Lab at the University of South Australia[9] and Can You See Me Now? in 2001 by Blast Theory in collaboration with the Mixed Reality Lab at the University of Nottingham.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Russell, Ben (2004). "TCM Online Reader Introduction". Transcultural Mapping Online Reader. Locative Media Lab. Archived from the original on 2006-07-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20060720212044/http://locative.net/tcmreader/index.php?intro;russell. Retrieved on 2005-11-13. 
  2. ^ Galloway, Anne; Ward, Matthew (July 2006), "Locative Media As Socialising And Spatializing Practice: Learning From Archaeology", Leonardo Electronic Almanac (MIT Press) 14 (3), ISSN 1071-4391, http://leoalmanac.org/journal/vol_14/lea_v14_n03-04/gallowayward.asp, retrieved on 2008-09-19 
  3. ^ Harle, Robert K.; Hopper, Andrew (2005), Deploying and Evaluating a Location-Aware System, University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory (published 2005-07-21), http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/dtg/~rkh23/pubs/mobisys2005.pdf, retrieved on 2005-11-13, "Location-aware computing is an emerging field where the location of people and objects can be used by machines to derive contextual information with which to enhance and assist users in all aspects of their lives." 
  4. ^ Galloway, Anne; Ward, Matthew (2005), Locative Media As Socialising And Spatializing Practice: Learning From Archaeology (DRAFT) (published 2005-10-26), http://www.purselipsquarejaw.org/papers/galloway_ward_draft.pdf, retrieved on 2005-11-13 
  5. ^ Hemment, Drew (August 2004). "Locative Arts". http://www.drewhemment.com/2004/locative_arts.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-15. 
  6. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/apr/16/news.theobserversuknewspages
  7. ^ http://www.orbit.zkm.de/?q=node/292
  8. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7783918.stm
  9. ^ http://wearables.unisa.edu.au/Projects/#ARQuake

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locative_media"
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