Please appreciate the ability to lose your thoughts, confuse yourself and change your mind often. It is in this process that you re-discover what you really want and discard the rest, for later use. After all, what is life without a little recycling? If you are reading this here for the first time, I'm sure it was quoted by someone already, like I said, recycle.
Thoughts, ideas, design, everything comes from an epicentre of pre-conceived and existing options. Art and its history, the numerous periodic shifts it has taken is an example. Even renaissance came in with a bang with precocious ideas and principles. Is originality far too over-rated?
I picked my paint brushes and dusty art materials from every nook of the house and read more about art these days. A constant barrier from the beginning of my design education was distinguishing art and design. Though it seemed very ambiguous in the beginning, it slowly dawned upon me that if art were the vivid colors of a Van Gogh, design would be his skill to create such art. But in today's world, where and how do we differentiate art and design? How educated are people around you to appreciate good design and great artworks?
I've been fighting this phenomenon of late, where the word 'design' would talk only about the attractiveness of an object. Or worse, a Rangoli (it's a highly structured design btw) or any excessive mindless decorations that we indulge in because, for some reason we believe excess is excellent!
One isn't entirely wrong referring them as "designs", however one isn't entirely right when they say the milk-man gives milk. How do we educate the world about design? Why is it important? (O.K so I did spend a whole lotta money on my education, but that isn't why) Do we ignore any acknowledgement towards design that makes our life smarter, easier or more comfortable? If so, why?
I've been fighting this phenomenon of late, where the word 'design' would talk only about the attractiveness of an object. Or worse, a Rangoli (it's a highly structured design btw) or any excessive mindless decorations that we indulge in because, for some reason we believe excess is excellent!
One isn't entirely wrong referring them as "designs", however one isn't entirely right when they say the milk-man gives milk. How do we educate the world about design? Why is it important? (O.K so I did spend a whole lotta money on my education, but that isn't why) Do we ignore any acknowledgement towards design that makes our life smarter, easier or more comfortable? If so, why?
Before I begin answering my questions (in case, you thought this was about me educating you about design, no, it is me obsessing with questions and trying to answer with whatever I know till date, to come back five years later and snigger at myself), let me discuss this recent incident that took place that may be a revolutionary design/idea that can be an excellent disaster management tool. And also a brilliant example to explain my argument.
Super Typhoon Haiyan has caused massive damage to the Phillipines, estimating the largest death toll so far. Mind you, just an estimate. The city of Tacloban and other badly hit areas have been mapped online by millions of volunteers who with the help of online mapmakers, spot the Typhoon hit area, roads that have been damaged, building missing, landmarks that will identify the hit-areas so rescue operations would run smooth and provide care and relief to places that will be identified with the help of these online mapmakers.
And this is possible just because of the internet.
This isn't the first time online mapmakers were used to detect disaster hit areas to rescue, but this is one such time that the Red Cross has tied up with OpenStreetMap (OSM) and planned to rescue people who are struggling and missing. The best part about this process is that, the mapmakers weren't difficult or confusing to users. It was simple to track roads using satellite data, areas and edit them online. See where this is going?
Image taken from: www.telegraph.co.uk
Now, how does this actually help the entire operation? The data will be collected and printed by the volunteers, distributing it among themselves. Just take a look at the amount of inputs by the people that brought in this edited map of the rescue areas. Not just that, offline editing can be done too. Workers can pin, cross buildings and roads on the printed maps as well. And people who have contributed to the online mapmakers? Well, they tweet. They post the areas, the landmarks, the area covered, the major hit locations that needs emergency rescue. As quick as possible. And this is how a plan can be devised, this is managing a disaster with evidence and proofs of how to channel workers and plan operations that will not only be resourceful but time-conserving.
This is technology and design coming together and giving solutions to a problem, people would take a whole month to assess, contemplate and provide half-true estimate values and news. This is design.
But whoa, wait a minute. How can it not have loop-holes? Of course, that is the best part about design. It need not be perfect and it can never be. It's a process that endures enormous amount of changes, iterations and more often than not, leading to several other solutions for different problems.
There will arise a few questions when discussing this design solution. Geospatial mapping and its uses have been popularised and have benefited many a time. However, when predictions and warnings have been given, do we not take alerts seriously? Considering previous small storms and minute occurrence of heavy rainfall, do we tend to take it easy during such disasters? Also, is the prediction time and warning time enough for people to evacuate and run for their lives, in shelters or other locations? Do such places exist where the government provides shelter and basic needs before the occurrence of a natural disaster? And, just because this is another alarm, doesn't mean we glide into worrying and obsessing over climatic change, global warming, sea levels rising, etc. Don't even start your religious discourse on "sins" and "evil doings" by humans that affect us back. This can go on for ages and can be forgotten too easily. What we can do, is repair. Rise back as soon as possible, one must move on and technology can assist in that direction tremendously. Design alters life, it provides reasons to look for hope when there is nothing but black and muck around the worst possible occasions. It is not a single man's job to clean up after the damage is done. We can do much more, bring in more possibilities of a future where such incidents can be managed well, not saying everything is in our hands including the end of the world, but you get the drift that design has to offer right?
There will arise a few questions when discussing this design solution. Geospatial mapping and its uses have been popularised and have benefited many a time. However, when predictions and warnings have been given, do we not take alerts seriously? Considering previous small storms and minute occurrence of heavy rainfall, do we tend to take it easy during such disasters? Also, is the prediction time and warning time enough for people to evacuate and run for their lives, in shelters or other locations? Do such places exist where the government provides shelter and basic needs before the occurrence of a natural disaster? And, just because this is another alarm, doesn't mean we glide into worrying and obsessing over climatic change, global warming, sea levels rising, etc. Don't even start your religious discourse on "sins" and "evil doings" by humans that affect us back. This can go on for ages and can be forgotten too easily. What we can do, is repair. Rise back as soon as possible, one must move on and technology can assist in that direction tremendously. Design alters life, it provides reasons to look for hope when there is nothing but black and muck around the worst possible occasions. It is not a single man's job to clean up after the damage is done. We can do much more, bring in more possibilities of a future where such incidents can be managed well, not saying everything is in our hands including the end of the world, but you get the drift that design has to offer right?
Design helps you co-exist. And art makes your design understood.
Rest in peace, you were braver than the rest. I pray for your peace, people and pain to heal quickly.
Love,
Snigdha Nanduri
Sources: www.theatlantic.com, www.science.time.com, www.telegraph.co.uk.
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