Mapping the Unseen

Dan Halka

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The plan is to reveal the correlation between the physical locations of public wireless networks and the relative land value / economic demographics. I hypothesize that nearly all wireless networks exist in affluent areas. Despite the perceived affordability of electronics, emergent technologies are available only to those who can afford them. So as the digital revolution/evolution continues to accelerate, the technology gap between affluent and impoverished people widens.

Three maps will be displayed onscreen inside a flash or html document. The center map will be a normal street map. The map on the left will be a map of existing wireless networks. The map on the right will be demographic, economic, and real-estate data. On pressing a button, the user will be able to view any combination of these maps overlaid. The main task in developing the project will be the accumulation of enough data to represent both Manhattan and possibly the Bay Area.