Dataset:
I picked this data set because I know how comprehensive it used to be pre-2023(?*). Look at google maps there is this time line function and you can “run back in time”. It is scary. I could see the path I take walking around the grocery store, Walmart, home depot and other stores. An even more scary fact is they have minute by minute updates for me all the way back to 2013.
(?*) the 2023/4 data is formatted different and is much more sparse.
I would like to keep my data private but how you get your own is by following these steps: https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6258979?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
Rhino:
Design:
This is the first model I made. The units are in X,Y planes are in length units, while the points Z are in binned log2(GPS pings). So the highest point is my House at around 600,000 data points around
The inspiration was from this 3d printed model that I gave to Louis Jencka and these heat maps that I try to use all the time .
This is the second model I made. The units are the height of the guitar pick shape is (avg) distance traveled over a week and the area of the picks is the total (avg) area enclosed by that week’s points with a Convex Hull. I need to add 50 Sq area units to the area and 50 length units to the length because of covid where I had gone nowhere for multiple months and there would be a jump discontinuity in the graph. I also had to take Outlier like travel days where I traveled 10,033.34 km in else then 24 hours and displaced more than 5,000,000 km^2
*The average was taken with a DCT and the total length was divided by 7.
Based on the combination of these 2 graphs.
This is the last model I made.
This is based on every city I have ever been to that has more than 100,000 population. My inspiration was of a globe that you put push pins in. So I have been to a total of 48 cities. These pins were really weak with Washington, D.C. or New York city and Seattle breaking off in the removal of the supports.
Reflection part:
It is crazy how much data the thing that everyone carries around with them all the time collects. My file was 1.2 gb. The process of coming up with these 3 objects was kind of hard for me. I think the idea of seeing data in 3d is new to me, because it is so hard to read and convey on paper. But I am happy I did . The process of making these objects were
In the process of looking at this data, I was seeing trends and finding things that I would not realize. For instance, in the yellow map before I went 100% gluten free, I would eat a 2.50 slice at sam’s club almost every other day; There is a huge spike there. I can see places that I have spent a lot of time in, my house, work, and school. In the area vs distance map I can see I don’t travel as much as used to and I remember not leaving the house for months.For the Ball I was amazed that I went to 51 cities but thought that number would be a lot higher.
The meaning behind the object for me is “how far I have gone in the last 10 years”. Looking at some places I visited makes me feel sad because I can see places that I only went there for a funeral, or a spike on a friend’s house who had passed away. I can also see happy moments like I can see my first few dates with my girlfriend, go to the balloon fiesta and hiking at the top of the mountain.
Programs:
Grasshopper:
Cleaner programs with small cleaned data
Hey Nicholas, I thought that this concept of making a model with your own data was absolutely fascinating and of course like you said, very frightening haha. I think it is so cool and interesting how you made some 3d models based on this data. This also makes me very interested to learn more about other types of data collected on us by various tech companies and other similar models that can be created. Great work!!
Alright, I did NOT know about this location timeline feature (although I can’t say I’m surprised). I like the idea for the globe despite it not printing great, particularly since it shows just how little of the world you’ve actually seen. Perhaps decreasing the height of your points would have prevented some from falling (unless their height was significant? I didn’t seem so in the post).
Though these forms seem very personal to you, I can understand how they can evoke emotions from memories of the past. This was a very enlightening post! I think I’m going to check this out with my own data.
Thank you for your commnet.
I do think the hgith of the points has to do with it alot but I thought it looked good on the computer. I think the ball spikes has weakness in the layer lines at odd angles. Hight of the points is not significant.
Nick,
Really cool idea you had for a print. I remember seeing my timeline a while back and got very creeped out and turned that feature off. Kind of glad you left it on for these prints though. Your thought process was really interesting to see, especially with those tear drop like shapes very cool idea. It took a second to understand what it was showing but once it clicked I thought it was clever. Also, very nice that you incorporated the graphs, made the data a lot more decipherable. Again, great post! Can’t wait to see what you do next.
Justin
Thank you for your comment.
I, 10 years ago had the foresight to see that I would need this data for a 3d printing class \s.
Opps, I just notice that I messed up the graph upload for area.