Future Think: Hi Startup Moment Mapping the World

Every individual experiences the world in a unique way but, so far, there hasn't been a technology able to capture those experiences in a moment by moment manner. Say hi to "Hi."

"Within you exists a general mapping of New York City that's different from my mapping of New York City. Your New York City street corners, storefronts and river benches feel emotionally different than my street corners. Though physically, they’re the same.”

That’s Craig Mod, designer, media theorist and co-founder (with Chris Palmieri) of Hi. He wrote those lines as part of a manifesto on Medium.com titled Hi: Narrative mapping the world.

What he’s talking about, in its most elemental form, is connecting an image and a short bit of writing to a place and giving it a home on the Web. You've told a story. You've created a narrative. And that narrative now pertains to a place on the map.

Here is an example of one of Mod's own "moments," as they're called at Hi. His text: "JFK midnight chaos."

The image is mapped to its physical location. Weather conditions are added for the time the shot was made. And Mod's fellow users who'd like to see him sketch out more information about this moment (he could write a full essay if he liked) can use the Tell Me More button to let him know they find it interesting. Participants also can subscribe to each other's entries, picking and choosing whose moments they enjoy and want to follow.

"We're building the tool to capture stories connected with location in the way that feels most natural to us," says Mod.

And when asked about the inspirations behind the creation this summer of Hi, he has an elegantly pertinent way to start his list: "Currently in Ghana and the Internet is horrrrribblllee, so barely able to eke this out."