23 March 2010

City Tour Navigation by Mouse Click

The residents of Stassfurt in Saxony-Anhalt are lucky. They are able to voice opinions about construction plans even before redevelopment commences. This is made possible by software from the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg, which represents open lots, individual buildings, neighborhoods and even complete industrial parks true-to-scale and photorealistically in virtual 3D projections. The researchers from the Fraunhofer IFF have created a 3D scenario specifically for Stassfurt. Mining caused the downtown to sink. A lake with recreational zones was laid out in and around the pit. The bank zone is going to be expanded now and the residents of Stassfurt have already been able to stroll through the new layout virtually.

Researchers created the terrain model based on two-dimensional and additional elevation data from a laser scan. Afterwards they combined the lots with digital photographs taken on site and integrated the thusly created 3D building models in the virtual environment. Municipalities, cities and districts intend to use the new software for more than urban planning. The program will also be employed for regional marketing to attract potential investors for instance. On a virtual excursion, they may switch locations and their view of the 3D model (i.e. to an industrial park) at any time and interactively retrieve supplementary information on open lots, lot sizes, prices, maximum construction heights, soil quality and distance by mouse click.

More information:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100303082507.htm