Adventure Series: Cutting Edge Technology applied in the context of investigative expeditions mapping the lesser-known parts of the world
Having pitched a fair few projects to the teams at BBC Natural History department and BBC Earth of Bristol we finally had a green light on an idea that took advantage of high tech tools and lateral thinking here’s the promo followed by one of my pitches that set things in motion.
NO DATA: Travels to the edge of the known world… and beyond!’’
In such a hi-tech world, it is easy to imagine that we know all there is to know… that every valley, mountain, jungle, ocean and desert have been mapped to the nearest millimetre… And yet for all our efforts and activities: supercomputers and scanning satellites, there are still areas of Earth, so remote, so isolated that we know nothing about them at all… They appear on maps as grey patches defined only by the words ‘NO DATA’
My original (Pitch 2011) of the idea os laid out in full below…
offered here on a plate as they say… if you like the thinking and IP then get in contact as this is a simple version…
Supported by an ultra hi-tech, studio-based, ‘Mission Control Centre’ (see below) explorer Justin Hall ‘travels to the fringes of the known world and beyond!’ His mission: to harness all that modern man’s technology can offer and map the region… he must fill in the gaps
Audience Guide:
Hi-tech, streetwise, 21st-century explorer armed with the latest technology. Gadgets galore, he receives mission-specific information on the surrounding area from studio-based ‘MISSION CONTROL’
Mission Control Centre:
Studio based componient: a hi-tech military styled environment with plasma screens and monitors showing mission-specific information, manned by an enthusiastic panel of experts.
Encounters:
These are extreme expeditions travelling through frontier worlds; Justin must navigate the natural obstacle to complete his mission but will also find ways of using groundbreaking technology to map the places that have never been seen before. This is the future of the expedition… Meeting with gun swinging miners, tribal chiefs and Government Officials, he fights his way through jungles, mountains, deserts and oceans to gain a perspective on the surrounding dynamics of the region… before travelling on into the unknown!
Dynamic Map Building:
At the beginning of the show, the target area is defined only by a grey empty patch… As the expeditions unfold, the panel receives information from Justin via satellite: They work to build a picture of the area., creating dynamic 3D graphic maps and CGI sequences that represent the known world expanding… it is living exploration! The ‘time team’ of adventure travel shows.
Interactive Potential:
‘NO DATA’ is a contributional travel and adventure programme. The show’s format is designed to engage audiences before, during and after the scheduled timeslot: via web, set-top box, SMS, MMS, 3G and emerging media.
Example: The Mission Begins:
Arriving at the ‘DROP ZONE’ Justin fires up his handheld and body-worn computer systems (PDA Keyboard built into trousers) he calls for a DATA package* from ‘Mission Control (hi-tech graphics sequences add to the ‘Mission Impossible,’ aspect of the show). His first mission is to understand and relay the surrounding dynamics of the region, placing it in historical, environmental and cultural perspective. Options appear on his PDA screen: Known Tribal groups, Known Natural Resources, Active Industries. Selecting a target he goes in search of those living and working on the fringes of the known world! (e.g. Tribal communities, rocket test facilities, volcanic research centre, drilling rigs, remote mining/ logging sites).
Through encounter, he gains a perspective and learns of the dangers/myths/legends of the region. Justin reports back to ‘Control’. He must wait for the next DATA package before he can ‘cross into the unknown’. Back in the studio the panel excitedly scan over a ‘never before seen’ satellite image that LANDSAT have just taken of the region specifically. With this info and all that Justin has learnt they debate what the core objectives of the mission should be: Where? How? When? They calculate the risks, select a mission and transmit the DATA…
Justin sets out to climb a distant mountain, accumulating topographic (G.I.S) information along the way. These are inspiring journeys set against the odds, exemplifying modern mans spirit of adventure while celebrating the immense diversity of the natural world around us. By interlacing tribal, environmental and cultural issues within the journeys we will subtly educate, entertain and inspire audiences across multiple platforms (see interactive model).
ADDITIONAL:
Establishing Premise:
Montage (Directors Walkthrough)
In a high-value, graphics-heavy, front end sequence (Using CGI effects, archival footage, satellite maps and the Royal Geographical Society’s, famous map room as a backdrop) we set up the premise of ‘NO DATA’ and introduce our 21st-century explorer: Justin Hall.
Narration linked to images guide the audience on a high-speed journey through the history of exploration and mapping of the known world: from the intrepid journeys of the first cartographers to today’s super hi-tech satellite scanners:
The globe starts to take shape on the screen as information is gathered. Man-made structures start to define territories, carving up the landmass as borders are established… the Great Wall of China, The Suez and Panama Canals, The Pan American Highway…
Portraying Mans Rapid Development And Expansion Around The Globe: From high above we focus on the Pan Am highway as it starts cutting into pristine forest…settlements, villages, small towns quickly take shape, expanding into grid-based cities, feeding off the surrounding natural resources…. The camera tracks over to RIO…zooming into the metropolis at night, (vary speed footage) roads appear as arteries, red lights as flowing blood… the city is alive… a man-made machine.
The Message: Man has laid claim to nature, seemingly he has controlled and harnessed its forces… however, the city needs fuel and consumes resources in vast quantity’s… As the camera pulls back higher and higher, we notice supply lines fanning out, first from the city via roads, then from the coastal borders as shipping lanes and later (as we hi-speed through man’s development) flight paths trace outwards to other countries weaving a lattice of communication and trade routes that span the globe.
Conclusion: The world is mapped, covered in evidence/ representations of man’s activity…. And yet, for all it would seem that we know there are still areas yet to be discovered…
NO DATA with Justin Hall
©Justin Hall 2011
Content & Location Suggestions (Basic first Pass)
- Greenland Ice Sheet
When Erik the Red found a place to settle, he named it Greenland. Scandinavian people far and wide competed for spots upon ships heading to this newfound paradise. When they got there, they were greeted by a country covered by 80% of sheer ice. Suffice it to say, people have seldom found a need to venture far from the shore or into the heart of their colonized ice cube. The Greenland ice sheet is a whopping 600 square miles in size. Perhaps people 2000 years from now will live the promises given to their ancestors because many scientists estimate that the ice sheet will melt by that time. The ice sheet has long served researchers well as an indicator of past climate change as they drill cores out of the ice.
- Colombia’s North Mountains
It’s hard to tell just how unexplored the northern mountains of Columbia are because guerrilla fighters don’t keep official records on the internet. Many bands of outlaws disappear into the area with plans to emerge at later, more opportune times. Most of the nearby residents, however, are peaceful, indigenous tribes. For every scientific expedition that is conducted, it seems that new flora and fauna are identified each time. The areas are home to extensive cloud rainforests that envelop these mountains in the mist. These unexplored mountain ranges are best suited for naturalists interested in discovery. In 2006, a new bird species (Yariguies Brush-Finch) was found in a previously unexplored region of the Yariguies Mountains, so-called after the native people that used to inhabit them. More recently in 2010, a new subspecies of the bird Lachrymose Mountain-Tanager was discovered.
- The Amazon Rainforest
Even being under siege as it is, the Amazon Basin still holds a vast amount of untouched land. The Amazon Rainforest covers most of the basin and is so large, in fact, that there are still tribes of people untouched by modern civilization. The Amazon maintains perhaps the most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest on the planet. It is beautiful to behold but dangerous in travelling. Dense bush and a slew of venomous creatures keep the common person from delving too deep, but these devices don’t work as well against bulldozers and industrial equipment. What is thought to have grown some 35-54 million years ago is now being cut down by large swaths every day? Exasperating the problem is that many different countries claim a part of the Amazon as their own and so set the local policy for its treatment in that area. The Amazon claims over half the remaining rainforest in the world.
- Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea has the distinction of being one of the world’s least explored countries. It is home to a prolific amount of fauna, flora, and indigenous peoples. Paradise birds amaze the eyes with an untold variety of dances and courtship rituals. The biodiversity is as amazing as the native cultures, and new species of plants and animals are found routinely. Scientists believe that countless other unidentified species inhabit the country’s inner jungle. When it comes to being a scientific haven, Papua New Guinea is comparable to places such as Madagascar and Belize. The rugged terrain of this country means that many areas are only accessible by aeroplane (unless you feel up for a huge amount of hiking and climbing).
- Namibia
Namibia is the least populated country in Africa. A mere estimated 2.1 million people call almost 300,000 square miles home. After doing the math, it becomes clear that there is a lot of open space per citizen. There is a large amount of land for the people to take custodianship of, but Namibia is also the only country to include protection of the natural world in its governmental constitution. Even with a poaching problem all too common in most African countries, Namibia’s pro-environment policies protect thousands of square miles of largely unexplored deserts (including the famous Kalahari) and plateaus. Namibia is a great place for spotting endangered animals. Rhinos and cheetahs top the long list of animals facing eventual extinction. Namibia also houses many small, charismatic animals such as the ant bear and the notorious honey badger. The race is on for this country to grow its ecotourism industry faster than poachers can lessen its biodiversity.
- Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is considered one of the most isolated island archipelagos in the world. The nearest mainland country is South Africa, and the main island is a mere 7 miles across. Many of the outlying islands have not been thoroughly explored. These islands are so remote that one is even named Inaccessible Island. True to its name, there have been at least three shipwrecks off of Inaccessible Island’s shores. Many seals, including the mammoth elephant seals, share the islands’ beaches with a plethora of shorebirds and waterfowl. The archipelago sits atop the Tristan hotspot, an area responsible for the volcanic activity that forms the islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The climate is generally mild (never too hot or too cold), but the islands are susceptible to powerful oceanic storms with high winds capable of wholesale destruction.
- Northeast Siberia (and the Kamchatka Peninsula)
Ok, truth be told, both Northwest and Northeast Siberia could warrant their own separate spots on this list. However, Northeast Siberia seems just a bit more barren and devoid of travellers. The whole of Siberia is vast— it is responsible for over 70% of Russia’s land space—yet holds under 30% of Russia’s total population. The local human population is stunted due to unforgiving landscapes and wintry weather. Much of the human presence is due to the ever-growing search for oil. Basically, Northeast Siberia is an even sparser travelled track of land in a sparsely populated slab of the continent. While a little over 300,000 inhabitants live on the eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, tundra and mountains dominate a wilderness vacant of people. This area is so remote that it is often rumoured that governmental penal colonies are still hidden away in its recesses.
- Gangkhar Puensum, Bhutan
Gangkhar Puensum (“Three Mountain Siblings”) is foremost among the world’s tallest mountains that have yet to be summited. This area, which borders Tibet, China, and Bhutan, is so remote that it even lacked proper mapping until recently. Climbing high-altitude mountains in Bhutan has been banned since 1994 due to spiritual beliefs. This means that potential explorers face the difficult prospect of navigating Chinese politics. As recently as 1998, permission had been granted to an expedition from Japan only to be subsequently removed. The group eventually climbed one of the lower mountain peaks from Tibet. Border disputes in this untamed area are common. Political, social, spiritual, and (of course) geographic issues continue to keep the top of Gangkhar Puensum untouched by man.
- Antarctica
Heavy winds, subfreezing temperatures, ice fields, icebergs and thrashing waves—all these hazards are just on the way to Earth’s least explored continent. Antarctica is the white behemoth of the exploring world. For many, our perception of Antarctica is of a giant ice cube. It sure is impressive, but we wouldn’t want to hang around long. To explorers and researchers, though, the white landscape is marked with a variety of different features and possibilities. No one, however, lives here permanently. It is the distinct promise of discovery that has scientists spending yearlong assignments getting to know this mysterious place. There a few vertebrate species of fauna living in Antarctica such as the snow petrel (the southernmost breeding bird in the world) and the rotund, photogenic emperor penguins. In contrast, there are many species of microscopic varieties and also a wide variety of oceanic life. As the global temperatures continue to increase, more and more tourists are finding themselves surprised with unusual warmth and the lack of snow in some areas.
- Mariana Trench
The most unexplored area in the world is, beyond a doubt, the deep sea trenches of the world’s oceans. Perhaps none is as famously unexplored as the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean (near Guam and the Mariana Islands). Reaching an estimated 1580 miles (2550 km) long and a mere 40 miles (60 km) wide with a depth of nearly 7 miles (11 km), the Mariana Trench is truly a window into our deepest curiosities. Since the 1870’s, when researchers began sounding the trench by hand, people have been refining techniques to best map every niche in this part of the deep blue. The video still above is an animation of the Mariana Trench, courtesy of NOAA. In 2011, a US Navy hydrographic ship mapped the entirety of the trench using a multibeam echosounder. Exactly what forms of life inhabit the deep sea remains a mystery, but some creatures have been observed. Included in these findings are single cell (that is right, stuff usually saved for under the microscope) organisms up to 4 inches long.
Yep Its a fairly complete pitch… .. if you want to know more or feel there is a way to tell this story now… I can certainly help. So give me a call.