An experiential puzzle and mapping game in London, October 2008

Background 2007 TED prize winner and photojournalist James Nachtwey asked TED to help him explore new ways of delivering news photography in the digital age. On behalf of Nachtwey and TED, UK-based think tank DEMOS approached mobile blogging technology company and community site Moblog for ideas on how to use web and mobile to drive awareness of XDR-TB (extensively drug resistant Tuberculosis).

The Power of the image

The mission was to create something technologically and socially innovative that expressed the power of Nachtwey’s images The real challenge was: How do we raise the profile of Tuberculosis on a budget of zero? How can we cut through a crowded space inhabited by charities using new media? Knowing that innovation can lead to coverage and awareness, Moblog ‘s answer was to fuse GPS, mobile blogging and augmented reality gaming (ARG) into a new whole, engaging people on the streets of London in a search for the question...

The mission was to create something technologically and socially innovative that expressed the power of Nachtwey’s images

The real challenge was: How do we raise the profile of Tuberculosis on a budget of zero? How can we cut through a crowded space inhabited by charities using new media?

Knowing that innovation can lead to coverage and awareness, Moblog ‘s answer was to fuse GPS, mobile blogging and augmented reality gaming (ARG) into a new whole, engaging people on the streets of London in a search for the question...

How? Using consumer ready GPS technologies, mobile phones and the web, we created a new form of art: Geo Marker Drawing Nachtwey’s powerful photography exploring the disease XDR-TB was the core creative: the power of the image Using a simple ARG style that merged on and offline as well as mobile Through Twitter, Moblog and Facebook we engaged Londoners in a cryptic puzzle game on the streets of London

How?

Using consumer ready GPS technologies, mobile phones and the web, we created a new form of art: Geo Marker Drawing

Nachtwey’s powerful photography exploring the disease XDR-TB was the core creative: the power of the image

Using a simple ARG style that merged on and offline as well as mobile

Through Twitter, Moblog and Facebook we engaged Londoners in a cryptic puzzle game on the streets of London

Gameplay Hidden on 43 blogs across the web were 43 latitude and longitudinal locations The moblog ( http://moblog.net/findme ) contained cryptic clues (see fortune cookie at right) to lead searchers to these locations Once found, the player travelled to the specified location to hunt for a hidden object The object would then provide the final instructions for uploading to the site

Gameplay

Hidden on 43 blogs across the web were 43 latitude and longitudinal locations

The moblog ( http://moblog.net/findme ) contained cryptic clues (see fortune cookie at right) to lead searchers to these locations

Once found, the player travelled to the specified location to hunt for a hidden object

The object would then provide the final instructions for uploading to the site

The players...

Platform components The main site hosted information on playing, clues, and provided the technology required to receive and geo-locate all entries Microsite required mobile blogging, browser and email upload, sharing to other sites and integrated geo-mapping

Twitter was an invaluable tool for seeding clues , generating buzz , and conversing with players

By using map markers laid out in a pattern which “connect-the dots-style” drew an image, we created a new form of online art

Success This project achieved Nachtwey’s ambition of exploring new ways of delivering news photography in the digital age The campaign measurably increased public awareness of XDR-TB through its groundbreaking format The project created a new form of art, the full impact of which is yet to be seen...

Success

This project achieved Nachtwey’s ambition of exploring new ways of delivering news photography in the digital age

The campaign measurably increased public awareness of XDR-TB through its groundbreaking format

The project created a new form of art, the full impact of which is yet to be seen...

Coverage Over 30,000 visits to the site Nearly 400 twitter followers engaging in clue solving At least 50 people searching London for hidden objects Feature article on BBC Technology site Presented in Media Guardian feature as ‘groundbreaking’

Coverage

Over 30,000 visits to the site

Nearly 400 twitter followers engaging in clue solving

At least 50 people searching London for hidden objects

Feature article on BBC Technology site

Presented in Media Guardian feature as ‘groundbreaking’

So what next? Aside from the campaign objectives this project achieved, a new art form has been created, one which can be achieved through readily available consumer technologies. We believe this is worth exploring further. This project explored it’s potential on a small scale: using 2 square miles of London to draw an image. Because of the nature of online maps, this idea works best at larger scales. The principle extends very wide and the practice is wholly geared towards group engagement, requiring as it does many people over a wide geographical region to draw images using map markers. So the question is... what do we do next?

Aside from the campaign objectives this project achieved, a new art form has

been created, one which can be achieved through readily available consumer

technologies.

We believe this is worth exploring further. This project explored it’s potential

on a small scale: using 2 square miles of London to draw an image. Because

of the nature of online maps, this idea works best at larger scales.

The principle extends very wide and the practice is wholly geared towards

group engagement, requiring as it does many people over a wide

geographical region to draw images using map markers.

So the question is... what do we do next?