Video Roundup: Animated AIS, Petrobras on Netflix
On Tuesday, researchers from the UCL Energy Institute and the digital journalism studio Kiln announced that they have produced an interactive shipping chart, using AIS data to plot merchant vessel movements over the span of a year – and to calculate their approximate CO2 emissions.
The chart is based on UCL's collection of 250 million ship positions recorded during 2012, and it illustrates the voyages of five different ship types across the oceans – tankers, container vessels, gas carriers, bulkers and ro/ros.
UCL-Energy researchers also took AIS data on location and speed, cross-referenced it with engine and hull specifications, and computed CO2 emissions for each observed hour (based on an IMO method). Kiln integrated that data into the chart, and for each ship type and for the entire fleet, it shows the freight carried and CO2 emitted.
Based on this analysis, UCL-Energy estimated that shipping emitted nearly 800 million tonnes of CO2 in 2014 – roughly equivalent to Germany’s CO2 output the same year.
Separately, video game developer Vintage Digital Revival is developing an interactive experience based on the sinking of the Titanic. The firm has released a full-length, real time animation of her final three hours, complete with subtitles and voiceover for the chronology of the crew's actions and the vessel's fate.
The project, Titanic Honor and Glory, is presently seeking investors to take it from its incubation stage to a full-fledged game, with the player free to explore the entirety of the vessel’s weather decks, compartments and passageways, and to interact with passengers and crew.
Finally, in an announcement Friday, Netflix confirmed reports that it would soon begin filming a new series based on the Petrobras scandal. The as-yet-unnamed show will be directed by José Padilha, the creative force behind the Golden Globe-nominated series Narcos; Mr. Padilha said that the new feature’s working title is "Jet Wash," after the Operation Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash) investigation into Petrobras' business practices.
“Netflix recognizes José Padilha’s talent in turning fast-moving current events into compelling narratives and he is well-placed to document this important time in Brazilian history,” Netflix said.
It will be the company's second show to be shot in Brazil, but Netflix has not yet said whether it will be filmed in English; its current project in the country (entitled 3%) is in Portuguese.