Real Time Rome : MIT Project at Venice Biennale

Real Time Rome is an MIT project that plans to usher in a new era of urban mapmaking. It will have its worldwide debut at the Venice Biennale, the prestigious biannual exhibition of contemporary art, from Sept. 10 to Nov. 19.

The project anonymously aggregates data from cell phones, GPS devices (obtained using Telecom Italia’s innovative Lochness platform), buses and taxis in Rome to better understand urban dynamics in real time. The data gathered in real time from cell phones and other wireless technologies will help to better understand the patterns of daily life in Rome.

“Real Time Rome features seven large animations, projected on transparent plexiglass screens. One screen shows traffic congestion around the city, while another screen shows the exact movements of all the city’s buses and taxis. Another screen is able to track Romans celebrating major events like the World Cup or the city’s annual White Nights festival (Notte Bianca, which will happen on Sept. 9, the evening before the Biennale’s architecture exhibition opening). Additional screens show how tourists use urban spaces and how cars and pedestrians move about the city.”

Real Time Rome is produced by MIT’s SENSEable City Laboratory. Next time your are travelling through Rome, be aware you are being tracked…