information aesthetics

I can see this technology working better on virtual reality reproduction of real-life retail shopping areas. Once you work from the building block that city authorities survey their shopping areas with automatic camera vans (and perhaps aerial radar shots at later stages) then portal vendors compete for the best presentation of that data. The above system would indicate some interesting new applications, especially for investors wanting to buy up retail properties and change building use. Traffic flows of shoppers might be useful. However this all depends on city authorities taking on the challenge to create a single data collection (especially 24 hour updates on permanent closures) and then franchising it out to software companies. The above concept would allow one franchised version of the particular city in question to seek revenues by charging shop-keepers hotspot entry points into their own websites. Of course the franchising system is going to have to accommodate nationwide availability, else visitors cannot find easily unfamiliar cities. My own view would be that the streets should flow counter-directional to aid advance purchase planning by criss-crossing the streets. Perhaps they should try and analyse the behavioural patterns of shoppers on a high-street to see parallels with the 3-D "stroll and know" model they wish to advocate.