A Visual Approach to Locative Urban Information

This chapter contributes to the ongoing effort to understand the nature of locative urban information by proposing that locative urban information is a kind of problem that necessitates the use of visual instruments, such as maps integrated into spatial annotation systems. The thesis is that the dynamics of the movement and behavior of messages appearing, disappearing, and spreading on the urban maps provide clues as to what extent a specific type of information is dependent on urban space for context, i.e., its level of location-sensitivity. A parallel is drawn between the interpretation of dynamic patterns appearing on urban maps and scientific discovery supported by the use of visual instruments. In order to illustrate how the question of locativity arises when developing technologies for urban life, a short examination of BlueSpot, a locative media project in Budapest, is provided.