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Featured Resource: Bio-Mapping
New technologies open opportunities to "mash-up" various databases to create new forms of knowledge. One intriguing idea is to map emotional states to geographic areas using Google Earth with emotional databases. As David Redlawsk suggests in his contribution to the roundtable discussion, the idea that people process information in emotional contexts is key to curent research in the area of emotional research. Perhaps these data can be "mashed-up" with geographic data?
Here is one site that attempts to do something like this. It is not specific to politics, but it gives a good idea of how more politically-focused mapping might be done.
Bio Mapping is a research project which explores new ways that we as individuals can make use of the information we can gather about our own bodies. Instead of security technologies that are designed to control our behaviour, this project envisages new tools that allows people to selectively share and interpret their own bio data.
The Bio Mapping tool allows the wearer to record their Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), which is a simple indicator of emotional arousal in conjunction with their geographical location. This can be used to plot a map that highlights point of high and low arousal. By sharing this data we can construct maps that visualise where we as a community feel stressed and excited.
How will our perceptions of our community and environment change when we become aware of our own and each others intimate body states?
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