Plant Forward is s digital archive developed from a data-driven
exploration of reforestation, related phenomena, and their
representation on Google Images.
The research presented here is a part of a broader report about the
depiction and the perception of the reforestation (you can find it
here) and the question presented here is: "How are the terms associated
with reforestation represented on Google Images?" and analyses the
search results on Google Images from a dataset of 40 terms belonging to
the broad concept of reforestation.
The analysis focuses on the representation of reforestation and its
growth process. It highlights an underrepresentation of the stages
in-between initial planting to a fully grown forest, along with a minor
human presence in them, which causes a loss of temporal cognition.
The project aims to encourage people to think about how the
reforestation process is a long and gradual process that needs care and
human intervention at every stage.
First we created a list of 40 terms related to reforestation: this
involved collecting words and synonyms from research articles on the
topic.
STEP 1:
STEP 2:
Each term was used as a search key on Google Images, and for each one we
downloaded the first 30 results, creating a body of 1200 images. (data
taken on 28 October 2022).
STEP 3:
We focused on photographic images, as they were a better fit for the
overall purpose of Plant Forward, so the dataset was cleaned by removing
images that were unsuitable for the overall analysis.
Images consisting of two or more juxtaposed pictures (eg. before and
after) have been split into parts.
The link to the complete dataset is available
here.
These images were manually ordered to show the various phase of growth of
plants into forests since both were by far the most frequent subjects.
The process was divided into six phases (before, sapling, tree, boscage,
forest, and after), according to which we categorised the images.
By arranging the archive so that plants are the central point of the
images, they are then morphed to present their growth into forests. This
embodies the process of reforestation in its broadest sense.
The archive can be explored through a side chart where each image is
represented by a dot. Considering the focus on human presence, the dots
that are linked to images containing people are highlighted by a thicker
outline. The images are arranged in linear order from bottom to top to
follow the growth of plants into forests.
The vertical axis is divided into 6 spans of the same area, one for each
phase, in which all the images belonging to that phase are placed. The
current phase is also represented by an icon placed on the right of the
cursor bar.
WASTELAND
SAPLING
TREE
BOSCAGE
FOREST
TIMBER
Images’ position on the horizontal axis is purely for visual purposes.
With a scrolling gesture, it is possible to explore the images by
observing the growth process. The physical movement of having to scroll
gives the perception of time passing as the plants grow while making
explicit both the need for representation, especially of human
intervention, in the longest phase of a forest's life: maintenance.
The bar on the right left the user select between some visualisation
alternatives. Switching view mode there is the option to visit the archive
in a more standard gallery format. Focus can be shifted to the presence of
humans within the images by selecting the “human presence” option. To
better understand the context of use of each image, their source can be
also displayed by clicking on “view source”.