Microsoft: Focus/Forests

Microsoft commissioned this piece to showcase their AI cloud computing capabilities.  Using Silvia Terra’s (now NCX) vast data set of forest composition across the continental US, the site doubles as a story about the effects, and improvements, we, as humans, can have on our beloved forests.

This is one of the first projects I collaborated on with data visualisation studio Schema Design, working with fellow creative technologist Caprice Carstensen starting with a brief on the story they wanted to tell, wrangling insanely large forestry datasets with help from then technology director Jeff MacInnes, concepting an interactive map-based UX and engaging scroll based UI, and implementing the whole thing with polished fit and finish using cleaned up static designs from art director Jeff Paletta.

We used a combination of custom MapBox layers with bespoke PNG renderings of the large datasets that were wrangled and exported using Python.  These PNG files were then hand finished in Photoshop to give a painterly blending between various levels of basemap resolutions as the user zooms in and out of forests and explores the data story.  3d charts aligned to maps of each showcased forest region providing a visceral view of the risks these forests face.  All of this was wrapped in a responsive scrolly-telling environment for a smooth user experience.