This video may contain content not authorised for use by its owner. The contents have been edited, and are used for academic reasons alone. Edited by 0d for bi0simulation [22].
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bi0simula-tion
// key words
diel vertical migration
carbon capture
deep sea
ocean relay
live data
immersive simulation
interactive education
The 2022 RCA NEMO Grand Challenge within the RCA’s School of Design involved over 350 multidisciplinary master students engaged in investigating a major planet problem, this time involving the world’s oceans. This year's Grand Challenge attempted to identify opportunities for strategic and system level design innovation that can stimulate cultural change and transformation through people's values, and attitudes towards the environment. The project titled NEMO [New Economic Model for the Oceans] is working across different continents to investigate a range of themes covering environmental impact, human impact on the ocean ecosystem, loss of marine habitat, plastics in our oceans, new ocean economies and environmental sustainability.
I have a strong relationship with the ocean. My grandfather [fluent in 8 languages] was a naval officer trained by the British Troops in Egypt [BTE] around the time the U.K. government and the Egyptian government agreed on a treaty between the two countries [1936]. Before he passed, he requested to be buried by the ocean. Today his tomb lye beside my grandmother's [fluent in 7 languages] on a tall hill in Haifa, Israel, overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Ocean where he dedicated years of his life.
I have very little memory of him, but I do recall his love and compassion for the oceans. He taught me about the vastness and dangers of them, the importance of their existence, the life beneath, and the cultures of people on the other sides of them. He was a big inspiration in terms of exploration. Much has changed since the 30's/40's, but, yet I am my grandfathers grandson, and though my perception of existence is different than his, I like to consider myself an explorer too - modern explorer. One seeking knowledge and insight; progressing and improving the world the best I can.
We are detached from our oceans. Beneath, other worlds exist. We humans have been taking these 'worlds' for granted, harming the life beneath and threatening the life above. No life should be taken. Yes, I'm vegan, but thats beside the point. Diving deep into the ocean [metaphorically] allowed me to connect with the life below the surface. There is intelligent life down there, my dream is to be able to work harmoniously with the life beneath to achieve a common goal. If the life above is aware of the problems in our oceans, the life beneath MUST be too. I envision a future where science will help us work collectively with marine life in ways other than it already does. This will be my
grandfather's legacy.
\\ learning objectives -
LO1] Translate large scale systemic issues into an
actionable design brief.
LO2] Use and effectively experience interdisciplinary design
methods to address the brief.
LO3] Use design research to develop a systemic
proposition towards proof of concept.
LO4] Evidence to develop and prove concept(s), through
physical, digital, or appropriate means.
research
The initial catalyst for our investigation was sound pollution caused by human
activity and its impact on aquatic environments. This introduced us to the topic
of migration. Together, with our personal interests in data collection and
sensorial immersive experience. We considered design propositions that attempted
to interconnect these areas through complex and speculative ideas.
// pollution - Ocean noise pollution comes from human activity like commercial shipping, seismic surveys, oil exploration, and military sonar. All of these noises cause serious threats to marine life. This noise pollution impacts a wide range of marine species, we're not just talking about whales and dolphins.
// dvm - Every day, billions and billions of animals, mostly zooplankton [e.g., smallish animals, including fish, various shrimp, and jellies], migrate up and down in the ocean all over the planet. That's a lot of movement. Scientists call it diel vertical migration, or DVM for short.
So few of us are familiar with the Diel Vertical Migration - we are unaware of how integral its value is to a sustained and balanced ecosystem. Swarms of tiny zooplankton rise to surface after dusk before retreating to the depths of the ocean before dawn.
This essential transfer of nutrients is vital to the
planetary exchange of carbon. When organisms die, carbon is sequestered in their debris on the ocean floors. To put this into perspective a sinking whale carcass sequesters over 33 tonnes of CO2[carbon dioxide].
// blue data - Ocean observation plays an essential role in ocean exploration. Ocean science is entering into big data era with the exponentially growth of information technology and advances in ocean observatories. Ocean observatories are collections of platforms capable of carrying sensors to sample the ocean over appropriate
spatio-temporal scales.
Data collected by these platforms help answer a range of fundamental and applied research questions. Given the huge volume, diverse types, sustained measurement and potential uses of ocean observing data, it is a typical kind of big data, namely marine big data. The traditional data-centric infrastructure is insufficient to deal with new challenges arising in ocean science.
// deep sea mining - The most direct impacts at mining sites are destruction of natural land forms and the wildlife they host, compaction of the sea floor, and creation of sediment plumes that disrupt aquatic life. Nearby impacts include noise, electromagnetic effects, disruption of the larval supply, contamination and fluid
flow changes
// hydrothermal vents - act as natural plumbing systems that transport heat and chemicals from the interior of the Earth and that help regulate global ocean chemistry. In the process, they accumulate vast amounts of potentially valuable minerals on the seafloor.
process
The Royal College of Art was provided with live oceanic data from a ship named nemo. Our primary study was around sound pollution. We found a similar interest in live data collection - translation and transmission. Initially, we were interested in the concept of deep ocean data remote relay [as illustrated in the research], and unmanned underwater vehicles [AUV] for deep ocean exploration and collection.
On our journey [of research] we discovered migrational patterns and learned of the interconnected ecosystem, and what later would be known to us by the ‘biological pump’, exchanging vital nutrients in the ocean.
This was massive! Very few to none of our colleagues and challenge competitors have heard of the DVM, and we were credited with originality and creativity. The oceanic data introduced me to wonders of nature my grandfather never could have imagined, and once again, like with 0dls, I was struck with a dose of passion and was taken over by the urge to do something great for the planet - in co-existence with marine life.
This is challenging, given the interventions played by humans in marine habitats. Some of the life down there has been evolving since way before us. We are disrupting habitats and are killing species in the deep sea, some still unknown to us.
Our research highlighted that whilst data exists, as this is a new field of research this information lacks accessibility and is not being utilised to its full capacity. We began to imagine scenarios in which the data is being interacted with the user[s] for educational and artistic purposes and proposed a simulation design named - biosimulation
outcome
What if there was a way simulation immersion could maximize this data? Bringing the diel vertical migration to life on ground.
The exterior layer of the biosimulation is the environmental map, controlling
the atmosphere.
The stereoscopic space is programmed at random and is designed to mimic conditions of the journey - in this case the plankton life cycle.
The center part of the biosimulation is the data navigation interface, here you can see the operator functions on a 3 dimensional vertical axis where data inputs like distance and velocity can be applied for the observance of marine activity; allowing for perceptual visualization [eg new angles
of interpretation].
The spatial element adds in factors that otherwise can not be concluded through conventional 2d or visual
3dimensional research.
evaluation
Whilst we propose these spatial biosimulations firstly be introduced to research centres for initial exploration by
data analysts. Once established and the data is being studied in its most realistic form, we visualise a future where the biosimulations are deployed into museums, schools, the navy etc. engaging with all citizens. Using immersive education to connect life above, and below the ocean. The future opportunities this has the potential to create are vast, deep sea-space training programs that open the door to new jobs prospects in exploration and data analysis. And the Diel Vertical Migration is just one example of a study that could be applied to this ‘simulation
experience’. What if this revolutionised the way all data is translated
and utilised?
We envision the biosimulation pods will inhabit an underground
environment.
Researchers will venture beneath the surface, enter the depths of the earth to both uncover and discover collected oceanic data in its most immersive form.
