research I learned that about 40 years prior, Buckminster Fuller had envisioned a giant version of what I had conceived, 200 feet in diameter, named Geoscope and envisioned as an installation suspended above the East River in full view of the United Nations Plaza in Manhattan. Fuller's audacious proposal is a continued source of inspiration, as each subsequent piece is part tribute to Fuller and a step toward bringing one of his visions to fruition. The project I intend to undertake is a large-scale version of The Orb, a rotating spherical display that functions based on the phenomenon of the persistence-of-vision, that I have been working on for several years. I aim to complete development on an eight foot diameter display with approximately 480 lines of resolution and thousands of colors. Both the increased scale and detail will enable the system to fulfill the initial goal as a as a platform for educating people, young and old, and across the world, about all aspects of our globe, environmental, socio-political, and artistic. Working with my current team, alongside additional scientists, artists, and engineers, content will be created that explores global systems in real-time, broadcast live on the surface of this much larger and higher-resolution digital three-dimensional globe. A wireless control system will facilitate live interaction fed by cameras or other sensors that enable viewers to control and otherwise affect the system. While projects in the past have both examined the persistence-of-vision, and other projects have been able to examine live data streams with incredible accuracy, this project is a breakthrough in linking physical experience to real-time data in a way that connects us viscerally to our place in the makeup of global experience. Physical events become related to the scale of our bodies, and we can understand our role in the epic transformation of our environment.

Describe the critical need your solution addresses.

The Orb project has been through three stages of development so far, beginning with the original iteration of The Orb (2006) that creates its imagery using 64 RGB LEDs spaced around a 12 inch diameter ring. The ultraORB (2007) uses two discs that rotate in opposition to each other on one axis, while simultaneously rotating together on the opposite axis. This different motion achieves a truly spatial three-dimensional effect. Featuring an 18” diameter display and aluminum and carbon-fiber construction, the most recent version of The Orb (2008) has a spherical resolution of 1024 X 216 with 24 bit color, is enclosed in glass, and can be programmed at variable speeds to encounter unique and new effects.

At this current stage in the project, we are at a point where we can dramatically increase the scale of The Orb to resonate strongly with the viewer, and where we can begin to experiment with real-time data content, as opposed to pre-recorded video content and imaging. Over the next three years, we plan to spend the first year researching and fabricating the physical elements of the large scale version, while simultaneously initiating dialogues with scientists and engineers about mapping global phenomena. During the second year, we intend to research and develop software to visualize these phenomena over the surface of the globe while also deciding which phenomena we would like to map, and how we are going to quantify that data. In the third year, we expect to be able to test real-time visualizations on the sphere, as well as finalize the protocol for the path that data takes from the source to the final visualization. The funding provided by the Buckminster Fuller Foundation would allow us to connect with scientists in a meaningful and productive way, and would also allow us to undertake fabrication of The Orb which is rather expensive.

Explain your initiative in more depth and its stage of development.

The Orb project is not only feasible (as has been clearly demonstrated by our past results) but it also addresses issues of climate change, the intersection of data visualization and physical technologies, and the anticipation of trends based on real-time analysis. Functioning as both an aesthetic experience and a tangible interface to connect to worldwide events, The Orb possesses the potential to engage a broad public in discourse around environmental action and indisputable trends. Easily replicable, The Orb can become a bold fixture in public spaces much like the ubiquitous CNN screen, allowing access to this information 24/7 across the globe. Simultaneously understandable and scientifically penetrative The Orb can become the defining object to unite the world intellectually.

How does your strategy and approach respond creatively and comprehensively to key issues?

For the past several years I have been working extensively on the development—both conceptually and technically—of The Orb project, and I have established documented results of my progress. There are currently three versions of The Orb project in existence, all of which function as steps towards building the project I am proposing for the Buckminster Fuller Challenge. The mechanical and technical aspects of the project have been tested in these smaller scale versions, and I am certain of my ability to execute this project within a reasonable time-frame, and fully functioning. The three earlier stages of the project have been exhibited internationally at major exhibitions and fairs—SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia, TED, MakerFaire, Wired NextFest, among many others—and have received an enormous amount of support from the communities in the field, as well as the public at large. This positive response and my experience with achieving successful results make me confident of my ability to execute my implementation plan.