w33p1ng m4dr0n3 (2021)
networked media/synchronous data visualization using AJAX + GLSL + Three.JS
w33p1ng m4dr0n3 is a virtual memorial to those who have died of Covid-19 in California. A virtual 3D model of a native madrone tree is linked in real-time to publicly available health data published by the Covid Tracking Project at the Atlantic. The tree sheds one blossom for each new daily Covid-19 death reported. As the dataset is updated daily, the rate the blossoms fall changes to visualize the currently daily reported Covid-19 death rate among California residents. The lower monitor displays CA’s cumulative total reported Covid-19 deaths since March 2020; the falling blossoms pile up until the current number is reached. The Covid Tracking Project classifies CA as a state with serious data reporting issues. Thus this piece is not just a memorial to those lost, but also a reflection US metric response to the pandemic.
*Since the pandemic the Covid Tracking Project has stopped collecting new data and the API has ceased to update. The last web visualizations using the last available data upload can be seen here:
https://mhr1235.github.io/yb_w33p1ng_m4dr0n3/
https://mhr1235.github.io/yb2_w33p1ng_m4dr0n32/