Clouds take many shapes. The cumulus, nimbus and stratus provide to the nimble mind any number of creatures, faces, scenes— an alligator rising out of a swamp, a man wearing a top hat, a frog hopping towards a lily pad &c &c. Then there's also talk of information clouds, tag clouds,
the cloud, and
Black Cloud is a project aimed at using the latter to examine the former. Of course, clouds are not mere matters of whimsy. Clouds are the air we breathe and the water we drink, clouds are how we communicate and propagate information. Clouds are our livelihood.
Since June 2008, the
Black Cloud Team has been asking schools, homes and businesses to host
PuffTrons (air quality monitors) in cities around the world. The maps above reflect the evidence, both ephemeral and real, the team has collected so far.
Click map icons to add their data to the viewer below.