This web-based artwork explores current events happening in major urban centers around the world. It functions as both an information visualization and as a collage generator. Click on the button below and you will see a rotating 3D model of the earth displaying cities as extruded blocks. The height of each block indicates city density, and width represents land use. Color is also used to convey information: varying shades of blue show where news is currently increasing. Because this map is connected to live data from Google, it changes with the fluctuation of world events. At the time of this writing, for example, a ferry disaster in Indonesia insured that Surabaya was most noticeable city on the map.

The Oracle also has a sculptural element that enables people to interact with the 3D model manually. It brings the work out of the confines of the computer screen and into a real collaborative conversational space.

 Java3D required.
 Download it here for Mac and Windows.