Development of an Envisioning System for Rural Communities

Abstract: It is expected that the structure of rural communities and the visual landscape of the Cudgewa Valley in northeastern Victoria, Australia, will change markedly within the next 20 years. To allow the community to explore these changes and envision a future for their valley, we are creating a portable environment for landscape simulation. The landscape visualisation is built on virtual reality technology and links to a geographic information system and hand held computing devices that can be used for the exploration of future visions. Our system will allow the community and stakeholders of this valley to propose alternative land cover configurations, move through realistic renderings of the consequent landscape, and review outcomes on a variety of environmental, economic and social scales. A detailed three-dimensional visual model of the region will be rendered using OpenGL Performer onto three screens giving a full field of view. The model can be explored in real-time using hand held computing devices for navigation. The community will be able to change existing land cover using a GIS interface. The changes will be reflected visually in the 3D view immediately. The system also incorporates icon based indicators for non-visual impacts, such as water quality, employment, and soil erosion. We will use simplified models based on existing scientific and local knowledge to determine these non-visual consequences of the land use changes. Using the hand held computing devices the community will be able to express their opinion on the changes upon the visual and non-visual outcomes. People can then determine if the probable changes accord with their values and adjust the extent or nature of the change accordingly. This project will develop techniques that help people to learn about their local landscape, examine the consequences of application of their own values (or those of others) and support informed decisions about land use