TSF is a visual information system which gives the user an immediate sensation (information) about the present and future conditions of the high tide in Venice. Made by two devices, one at home and one in a city place, it involves the user in a real/virtual game with the high tide.

Even if the high tide is a big problem for the city, TSF tries to find a poetic and simple approach to the matter, making possible to live and enjoy the Venice’s water without being worried of sinking in it.

Who is it for?
Its target is anyone who needs to walk around the city without a “sinking feeling”.

What information does it gives?
As Venice is an island linked to the high and low tide mechanism of the Lagoon,TSF allows the users to see in an easy and intuitive way where and when the water is going to raise up/down, to easily plan their movements in the city. TSF also gives you the possibility to know which kind of boots (or waders) wear depending on the water level of the zones you want to visit.

Where is it?
TSF can be located at home, to plan your walking path around the city and know the high tide situation before going out. Also, it can be located in some key-zones of the city where is crucial for the tourists and the Venetians to know the high tide situation of the lower zone in Venice: S.Marco.

i.e. At the railway station (a forced passage) TSF tells how much the high tide will raise or down, allowing the user to plan a coffee (or two) in the bar.





The prototype...
For the prototype we made a little installation to mirror the behaviour of the big one. It registers and projects the movements of one person on a white screen of 1.5 x 0.8 m.
To build the screen we take a table without the board, and carefully sew a bed sheet to it. Then we build a pressure sensor to be placed in front of the screen (for an exhaustive explanation of how to build a floor sensor.
To have the lightning conditions under control, we add white background for the floor and part of the wall, and add a lamp on the left side, pointed to the wall (it would be fantastic to have 2 lamps, allows total control over the white balance and helps processing).
We connected then the floor switch to a bread board and a wiring board, and add a led to check the correct behaviour of the sensor and the program running on the wiring microprocessor.



The wiring board was attached to a computer and a webcam was added to finish the mix.

Credits: TSFis still a prototype, developed at IUAV University in Venice with professors Gillian Crampton Smith and Philip Tabor in collaboration with Durrel Bishop and Davide Rocchesso.

Software used: Processing,Wiring

Stuff used: a projector, a webcam, the Wiring, a pc.

Brainstorming, sketches and project development: Miguel Cabanzo & Nunzia Coco.

Prototype’s problem solving: Miguel Cabanzo & Nunzia Coco.

Code: Miguel Cabanzo & Nunzia Coco.