Social Innovation Summit 2014
By Erik Samsoe
January 28, 2015
In November, Josh Ausborne and I set up a Liquid Galaxy at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City for the 2014 Social Innovation Summit. Prior to the event the End Point content team worked together with Chris Busselle and Sasha Buscho from Google.org to create presentations featuring 10 grantee organizations.
With the Liquid Galaxy we were able to feature “Street View” panoramas of people enjoying the High Line in New York City, penguins standing on the shoreline for Penguin Foundation, and seals swimming underwater for Conservation International. The touchscreen and space navigator control device enabled users to view 360 degrees of the landscape as if they had been teleported to each location.
image credit: Jensen Sutta
I was thrilled to see the Google.org team in front of the system sharing the larger narrative associated with each project. This highlights one of the many opportunities of the Liquid Galaxy—the opportunity to share, explore and collaborate in real time, in front of an immersive array of screens.
image credit: Chris Busselle
One of the prepared presentations highlighted a data collaboration with Polaris to fight human trafficking. With Google Earth, Chris Busselle identified a location in India that showed brick firing kilns. Chris navigated through this particular landscape in India and shared how these bricks are manufactured by enslaved workers. This was yet another revelation for me as I recognized how a satellite image overlayed in a virtual environment can be a touchpoint for a narrative which spans the globe.
As you might guess, it was a pleasure to work with the Google.org team (we even got a hug at the end!). The team’s passion for their work and the impact Google.org is having through technology is undeniable. I am excited to recognize this event as yet another proof in principle for how the Liquid Galaxy and Google Earth act as tools for awareness which can inspire positive change in the “real” world.
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