Science-Driven Immersive Environments for Land Management Simulations

Our research explores automated techniques for visualizing environmental processes and land management decisions. The resulting 3D environment models provide a more realistic look and feel for simulated outcomes than 2D or 2.5D GIS maps and extracted statistics. Automated model generation reduces workflow complexity and increases fidelity by directly coupling science inputs with 3D output. Urban and environmental scenes are generated within CityEngine utilizing GIS data from various sources. Procedural modeling is applied to create realistic 3D views of alternative scenarios predicted by the Envision integrated planning and environment assessment tool, as well as to visualize discrete events such as fire and firebreak placement. Simulated environments also hold the potential for development of virtual data-generation and collection tools, such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR) scanning. The resulting 3D models can be explored on a computer, over the web, or in the form of interactive games (utilizing Unity3D), which can further incorporate science results and management policy. The presented tools have been developed to prototype level. Future work is envisioned to validate the 3D models against the original science and measure the effectiveness for outreach, engagement, and public input collection

Seeing the invisible: from imagined to virtual urban landscapes

Urban ecosystems consist of infrastructure features working together to provide services for inhabitants. Infrastructure functions akin to an ecosystem, having dynamic relationships and interdependencies. However, with age, urban infrastructure can deteriorate and stop functioning. Additional pressures on infrastructure include urbanizing populations and a changing climate that exposes vulnerabilities. To manage the urban infrastructure ecosystem in a modernizing world, urban planners need to integrate a coordinated management plan for these co-located and dependent infrastructure features. To implement such a management practice, an improved method for communicating how these infrastructure features interact is needed. This study aims to define urban infrastructure as a system, identify the systematic barriers preventing implementation of a more coordinated management model, and develop a virtual reality tool to provide visualization of the spatial system dynamics of urban infrastructure. Data was collected from a stakeholder workshop that highlighted a lack of appreciation for the system dynamics of urban infrastructure. An urban ecology VR model was created to highlight the interconnectedness of infrastructure features. VR proved to be useful for communicating spatial information to urban stakeholders about the complexities of infrastructure ecology and the interactions between infrastructure features.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.102559Published versio

Modelling and visualizing sustainability assessment in urban environments

Major urban development projects extend over prolonged timescales (up to 25 years in the case of major regeneration projects), involve a large number of stakeholders, and necessitate complex decision making. Comprehensive assessment of critical information will involve a number of domains, such as social, economic and environmental, and input from a wide a range of stakeholders. This makes rigorous and holistic decision making, with respect to sustainability, exceptionally difficult without access to appropriate decision support tools. Assessing and communicating the key aspects of sustainability and often conflicting information remains a major hurdle to be overcome if sustainable development is to be achieved. We investigate the use of an integrated simulation and visualization engine and will test if it is effective in: 1) presenting a physical representation of the urban environment, 2) modelling sustainability of the urban development using a subset of indicators, here the modelling and the visualization need to be integrated seamlessly in order to achieve real time updates of the sustainability models in the 3D urban representation, 3) conveying the sustainability information to a range of stakeholders making the assessment of sustainability more accessible. In this paper we explore the first two objectives. The prototype interactive simulation and visualization platform (S-City VT) integrates and communicates complex multivariate information to diverse stakeholder groups. This platform uses the latest 3D graphical rendering techniques to generate a realistic urban development and novel visualization techniques to present sustainability data that emerge from the underlying computational model. The underlying computational model consists of two parts: traditional multicriteria evaluation methods and indicator models that represent the temporal changes of indicators. These models are informed from collected data and/or existing literature. The platform is interactive and allows real time movements of buildings and/or material properties and the sustainability assessment is updated immediately. This allows relative comparisons of contrasting planning and urban layouts. Preliminary usability results show that the tool provides a realistic representation of a real development and is effective at conveying the sustainability assessment information to a range of stakeholders. S-City VT is a novel tool for calculating and communicating sustainability assessment. It therefore begins to open up the decision making process to more stakeholders, reducing the reliance on expert decision makers

New technologies for urban designers: the VENUE project

In this report, we first outline the basic idea of VENUE. This involves developing digital tools froma foundation of geographic information systems (GIS) software which we then apply to urbandesign, a subject area and profession which has little tradition in using such tools. Our project wasto develop two types of tool, namely functional analysis based on embedding models of movementin local environments into GIS based on ideas from the field of space syntax; and secondlyfashioning these ideas in a wider digital context in which the entire range of GIS technologies werebrought to bear at the local scale. By local scale, we mean the representation of urban environmentsfrom about 1: 500 to around 1: 2500

Data visualization within urban models

Models of urban environments have many uses for town planning, pre-visualization of new building work and utility service planning. Many of these models are three-dimensional, and increasingly there is a move towards real-time presentation of such large models. In this paper we present an algorithm for generating consistent 3D models from a combination of data sources, including Ordnance Survey ground plans, aerial photography and laser height data. Although there have been several demonstrations of automatic generation of building models from 2D vector map data, in this paper we present a very robust solution that generates models that are suitable for real-time presentation. We then demonstrate a novel pollution visualization that uses these models

An overview of virtual city modelling : emerging organisational issues

This paper presents a recent overview of the increasing use of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for the simulation of urban environments. It builds on previous research conducted on the identification of three-dimensional (3D) city models and offers an analysis of the development, utilization and construction of VR city models. Issues pertaining to advantages, barriers and ownership are identified. The paper describes a case study of the development of a VR model for the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK and outlines the role that academic institutions can play in both the creation and utilization of urban models. The study offers a new approach for the creation, management and update of urban models and reflects on issues which are emerging. Areas for future research are discussed

Traffic simulation in 3D world

This paper is the result of more than three months of research completed at the School of the Built Environment, Virtual Environment Suite. This study focusing on measuring the impacts of a change in the infrastructure using a 3D traffic simulation model. Various aspects about the research area and the simulation model were explained. Details on technical aspects of the simulation and the modelling are also given. The focus will lay on motor traffic and thus especially on the changes in traffic circulation as a result of relocating the car access of the City Site. The impacts of the infrastructure changes will be analysed, by simulating the current situation as well as the future situation. Comparison of the different simulations will show the impacts

Visual communication in urban planning and urban design

This report documents the current status of visual communication in urban design and planning. Visual communication is examined through discussion of standalone and network media, specifically concentrating on visualisation on the World Wide Web(WWW).Firstly, we examine the use of Solid and Geometric Modelling for visualising urban planning and urban design. This report documents and compares examples of the use of Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) and proprietary WWW based Virtual Reality modelling software. Examples include the modelling of Bath and Glasgow using both VRML 1.0 and 2.0. A review is carried out on the use of Virtual Worldsand their role in visualising urban form within multi-user environments. The use of Virtual Worlds is developed into a case study of the possibilities and limitations of Virtual Internet Design Arenas (ViDAs), an initiative undertaken at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London. The use of Virtual Worlds and their development towards ViDAs is seen as one of the most important developments in visual communication for urban planning and urban design since the development plan.Secondly, photorealistic media in the process of communicating plans is examined.The process of creating photorealistic media is documented, examples of the Virtual Streetscape and Wired Whitehall Virtual Urban Interface System are provided. The conclusion is drawn that although the use of photo-realistic media on the WWW provides a way to visually communicate planning information, its use is limited. The merging of photorealistic media and solid geometric modelling is reviewed in the creation of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality is seen to provide an important step forward in the ability to quickly and easily visualise urban planning and urban design information.Thirdly, the role of visual communication of planning data through GIS is examined interms of desktop, three dimensional and Internet based GIS systems. The evolution to Internet GIS is seen as a critical component in the development of virtual cities which will allow urban planners and urban designers to visualise and model the complexity of the built environment in networked virtual reality.Finally a viewpoint is put forward of the Virtual City, linking Internet GIS with photorealistic multi-user Virtual Worlds. At present there are constraints on how far virtual cities can be developed, but a view is provided on how these networked virtual worlds are developing to aid visual communication in urban planning and urban design

A Proposed Workflow for Conceptual Visualization Studies in Urban 3D-Models

Different types of invisible parameters, such as air quality and noise, are all affected by new constructions of infrastructure and buildings and should be considered as important aspects in the design of new urban environments. At the same time these parameters are difficult to communicate in a comprehensible way and their consequences can be difficult to grasp for non-experts. Effective visualization offers possibilities to include and create consensus among stakeholders in urban planning processes and thus contributes to a holistic view and more sustainable solutions. This paper presents and discusses a proposed method for conceptual explorations for visualizing environmental data, using a so-called sandbox model with fictitious data.\ua0 One question is in focus: How can a sandbox model be used for the development of visualization concepts in urban 3D-models? In this paper we demonstrate our methodology using noise pollution data applied in one of our research projects carried out together with the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket). This project explores new solutions for visualization of environmental data in Trafikverket\u27s geographically large-scale 3D-models. In order to conduct design elaborations in an adapted environment a sandbox model was developed as part of the workflow. Here various concepts for visualization solutions were developed and tested in a series of user tests. Based on this developed methodology through application, we propose guidelines for conceptional elaborations in a sandbox model for visualization of data in urban 3D-models. This research approach contributes to developing new methodology for information visualization of environmental data in urban 3D-models