I’ve always been interested in coding and random idea generators so I thought I’d explore the possibilities for generating SVGs from data points using Google Sheets (almost certainly not the most elegant solution, but not being a coder it seemed the best way to go).

To test out what’s doable, I tried out generating simple random alien planet landscapes from random variables. The end result is pretty plain but it wouldn’t take long to add a lot more in terms of filters, additional landscape features etc. that could make it look pretty good.

The next step is to figure out how to use it to represent data – for example, mood tracking data I’ve kept this year. I’d also like to work out a way to make the process interactive for people, so that anyone can input data and get an image in return; currently a couple of the steps are still being done manually.

I’d also like to think how to generate other kinds of image – like cities, or azulejo tiles – and to think a bit further how they could be used (it could be fun to have a real life tiled wall that’s actually representing weather data from the last year, for example. Fun but pricey.)