Post date: Sep 16, 2014 7:30:9 PM
Welcome to our blog! We are the Venetian Time Team from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Our team consists of Mark Chakuroff, Kelsey Powderly, and Dennis Silva. We will be traveling to Venice to complete our Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) from October to December 2014. We couldn't be more excited about our project and to share it with you!
Time management is an issue of historical significance. In a place such as Venice,
time can be lost both literally and figuratively. In a literal sense, it is easy to lose time in large
amounts simply by being unaccustomed to Venetian habits. Traffic is a major concern among
Venetians because of limited modes of transportation. In a figurative sense, the history of Venice
has been lost to time. Factors including those due to environment and population growth are
erasing historical artifacts. Venetian time encompasses these figurative and literal elements.
These must be conserved in order to improve management and appreciation of time.
While considering the 25 year history of the VPC, many studies related to time have been
conducted. Multiple past projects will be revisited while gathering information. The team will
consider past mobility studies and pedestrian projects as resources. Other sources will provide
information on walkability scores, densities, and average walking speeds of cities. The team
will consider information from Venice and compare to other locations. Studies have also been
completed on missing historical artifacts including buildings, art, and bell towers. Through
understanding previous work, the team aims to recognize the importance of time in Venetian
culture.
There has been extensive research done and data collected about Venetian time, but
there are still gaps. Through the VPC, the average walking speed in Venice has never been
calculated. Venetians have a distinctly faster walking speed than tourists. In order to decrease
travel times, one could attempt to increase the average walking speed of tourists to that of
Venetians. One way to accomplish this could include development of an isochrone map. An
isochrone map increases walking speeds by providing the quickest path of travel. In addition,
many historical artifacts related to time have never been documented within the VPC. Venice is
filled with clocks that after many years have been either damaged or lost. Historical information
could be gathered on each clock to bring back what was lost to time. This missing information
provides a basis for future project developments.
The goal of our project is to create an isochrone map application for public use. The
application aims to deliver Venice-related destination options, directions, and historical
information to the user. To achieve this goal, pertinent data will first be retrieved from various
databases. We will incorporate this data into the Google Map API. The program will then
be formed into an aesthetically pleasing interface. Supplementary data will be collected and
implemented on site. The data will include both walking speeds and historical clock information.
By creating such an application, we are able to put both aspects of Venetian time into the palm
of the operator’s hand. Pedestrians can better monitor their use of time thereby mitigating overall
travel times. Also, users can track their location and see all of Venice has to offer.
Thanks for reading about our thoughts on Venetian Time!
"Time Sliced" Venice by Richard Silver