Slide Shows | Technology

Sensors and the City: IBM Exhibit Visualizes Today's Urban Problems--and Potential Solutions [Slide Show]

The IBM "Think" exhibit analyzes data to create virtual representations of wasted drinking water, solar-energy potential, traffic snarls, air quality and credit card transactions in and around New York City

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THINK:
thumb: THINK:
THINK:

IBM's "Think" exhibit, on display at New York City's Lincoln Center through October 23, is one of several ways the company is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year.

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Courtesy of IBM
WATER WASTED:
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WATER WASTED:

More than 37,800 liters of water is lost via leakage every minute as it flows through New York State's aqueducts into the city, according to IBM....[More]

TRAFFIC FLOW:
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TRAFFIC FLOW:

IBM mounted cameras atop Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall that monitor traffic flow at Columbus Avenue and Broadway. The wall uses a moving line ( see lower right inset ) to represent traffic data....[More]

SOLAR POTENTIAL:
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SOLAR POTENTIAL:

IBM's exhibit also uses information, collected by itself and city agencies, to visualize the city's potential to collect solar energy via all of the rooftops in Manhattan.

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Courtesy of IBM
AIR QUALITY:
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AIR QUALITY:

IBM installed a particulate-matter sensor at the exhibit site to augment information the city already has about air quality. When combined with traffic data, the air quality maps can be used to determine the areas of the city most affected by pollution ( see lower right inset )....[More]

TRACKING FRAUD:
thumb: TRACKING FRAUD:

TRACKING FRAUD:

The exhibit also tracks credit- and debit-card transactions throughout the city. Although they are rendered anonymous when reported, such data can be instructive, given how many of these exchanges are fraudulent....[More]

VIDEO FOREST:
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VIDEO FOREST:

In a small theater with wall-to-wall mirrors on either side, there are 20 monolithic video columns, each 2.4 meters tall and 1.2 meters wide. They are arranged in clusters that immerse the audience for a 10-minute film highlighting scientific and technological progress in areas including space exploration, personalized medicine, traffic management and agriculture around the world....[More]

1964 WORLD'S FAIR:
thumb: 1964 WORLD'S FAIR:

1964 WORLD'S FAIR:

For the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., Charles and Ray Eames designed the IBM exhibition as a dome resembling an IBM electric typewriter ball from the era, albeit with only the letters I, B and M....[More]

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  1. 1. ehanley12 03:41 PM 10/13/11

    Actually, IBM was based in Endicott, NY until the early 1950's, when it moved to NYC. A predecessor business machine company founded in Endicott around 1910 was purchased by TJ Watson, Sr and renamed IBM in the 1920's.

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