A couple of excellent uses of data visualisation software have popped up in the media over the last few days and best of all, both display kiwi innovation at work.
Nextspace, the Auckland-based cluster of 3D graphics companies, says it is building a “Visual City” platform for Auckland which would display visually on a 3D map of the new Super City, council data such as maps, city plans, photographs and bus routes.
Interested in knowing the town planning provisions in your neighbourhood? Just hover your mouse pointer over your street to get the details. This is not only a fantastic showcase of New Zealand 3D visualisation software, but a great way to unlock a lot of digital content that the public generally has to go digging for. Check out the images below to get an idea of what Nextspace has in mind. NBR has more on the Visual City venture here.
The Herald reports on the other example, which uses Google Maps to plot fruit and vegetable patches around the country. Feel like picking your own olives? Head to the Auckland Domain, near the museum underground where olive trees grow. How about some wild fennel? Well, apparently its all along the harbour entrance in Westport. It’s the digital equivalent of the cardboard box at the end of the driveway with “free feijoas” written on it. These ideas have legs…
Visual City concept graphics
Credit: Nextspace
Credit: Build Media
New Zealand Food Map
Google Maps New Zealand Food Map
> The proposed ‘Visual City’ system would act as an electronic clearinghouse for legacy council data – such as maps, plans, resource consents, 3D models, transport routes, historical records and photographs
Good luck … my doctorate was in scientific visualisation and having worked with industry on some projects, found out that the presentation graphics was the easy part. Convincing entities such as the councils to actually cooperate and release the data was a major effort (vertical silo mentality). And let’s not even talk about GIS interoperability.
> The public can interact by adding their own information, ideas and community feedback directly into in the virtual city model.
While the gee-whiz graphics have eye-candy appeal, has anyone thought about privacy issues? Sure, it would be nice to have housing information available online but one stalking incident and people might over-reeact.