Vislab
Research data meets visualisation technology to enable you to better understand the world and how everything is interconnected. And the more you understand, the more you can contribute to a sustainable future.
The world’s first public visualization lab
What impact does drinking a cup of coffee have on the planet? Where in Gothenburg is the most energy consumed? What would happen to the lions on the Savannah if the average temperature were to increase? The visualisation lab allows you to undertake your own expeditions using genuine research data, like a digital explorer hunting for questions and answers about space, the climate, urban development and other topics.
At Vislab you use the latest visualization technology. With the aid of computer algorithms and functions we have converted huge quantities of research data into images and graphics that you can interact with. This is known as data visualization, and it makes it easier to understand complex connections.
Vislab connects the local with the global. You will find examples of how the world is interconnected and affected by different factors. Understanding the data and combining insights from the lab with other experiences at Universeum will expand and reinforce your knowledge about sustainable development.
Finding the recipe for a sustainable world
Vislab is based on five different themed zones. Each zone features stations where you can create your own data expeditions, like a scientific explorer hunting for questions and answers. You can share the knowledge and experiences of others, while creating your own contribution.
Location.
You'll find Vislab in the new Stenagalleriet at level 5.
The ocean
Human life originated in the ocean. Explore your relationship to jellyfish and check out the relationships between animals, plants and other organisms. Using data models of some of the ocean’s creatures, you can take a look at the heart of a hammerhead shark or get up close to the tentacles of an anemone. You can also dive down below the surface in the Kosterhavet National Park and discover Sweden’s only undersea national park. It has a completely unique ecosystem. Explore coral reefs or check out the eelgrass meadows – the nursery of the sea.
Land
The land zone will provide knowledge and insights about our climate and factors that affect it. If one species in a food chain undergoes changes or faces new conditions, this affects species throughout the chain and it can have significant effects on an ecosystem. For example, can you see what would happen if all the lions in the Serengeti were to die? How does the food on your plate impact the climate? What foods are good or bad for the climate? Is there a way that you can help the climate simply by switching ingredients or thinking differently when shopping? Take a plate, add your food and see what happens to the climate.
Society
The population of Sweden is constantly changing – we are living longer, earning more, becoming more educated. Or are we? Here you can examine data covering all residents of Sweden from 1990 to 2017 and compare age groups, levels of education, disposable income and origin by municipality, county or the whole of Sweden.
Changes in society bring increasing challenges for urban planning. Consequently, new digital and visual tools are needed to describe, understand, plan and manage urban areas. Why not check out some of the data an urban developer needs to take into account when making changes in Gothenburg?
Space
Gain access to the entire universe and decide where you want to go! Using visualization technology you can answer questions that previously seemed impossible, and reach destinations that were formerly inaccessible. Explore planets and stars and look into the core of meteorites. Bookmark your favourite places during your journey and then record the whole experience so that you can relive it over and over.
Humanity
Take a look inside a human body! Explore the human brain from the inside out. What does it look like and how does it work? Which parts of the brain control our different functions?
You can also meet Ben. He’s a combination of real data and anatomical models in 3D, which produces a detailed representation of a fully healthy body. Explore our lymphatic system, a complete nervous and vascular system or check out a real heart, the organ that pumps our blood around our bodies.
