Do you ever wonder . . .

What your community would look like in
the future? 		How natural resource data can help inform growth decisions? What a proposed development would really look like if it were built?

Community VizTM is one of the best ways for enabling communities to look into the future and create a common vision. It helps a community answer questions they may have about the future of growth and development and provides maps and other visualizations so that people can see it.

What is CommunityVizTM?

CommunityVizTM allows communities to try various alternative development scenarios, view them in a three-dimensional format, and then measure and compare the quantifiable effects of each development scenario on quality of life, natural resource, and other indicators important to a particular community.

CommunityVizTM helps planners and communities to better understand long-term impacts on issues as wide-ranging as surface and groundwater quality, impervious surface area, traffic patterns, infrastructure costs, potential tax revenues and recreational assets. The program also helps communities to see the same picture. The idea of cluster developments can mean different things to people as they visualize the concept individually, but the software allows a community to share the same vision. That's a huge advantage when trying to get a group of diverse individuals to agree on something as important as future growth and development.

An Innovative Technology

CommunityVizTM is an extension of ArcGISR (Geographic Information System) software that analyzes information in new and powerful ways. CommunityVizTM combines two interactive components: Scenario 360 and SiteBuilder 3D. Scenario 360 allows users to ask "what if" questions. For example, what are the potential impacts to wetlands or farmland if a certain type of development is allowed? SiteBuilder 3D allows the user to construct a three-dimensional model of a landscape and fly or drive through the landscape.

CommuntiyVizTM offers local decision-makers and citizens the opportunity to quantify and compare potential impacts of different land use scenarios. Scenarios can be viewed in 3D or 2D and information can be updated in real time, allowing for an interactive public participation process. There is a broad array of activities possible with CommunityVizTM. Some of the critical pieces are:

 

  • The opportunity to compare and quantify impacts of various development scenarios on groundwater, surface water, farmland, wildlife habitat, and many other social, environmental and economic indicators.
  • Visualize what development will look like on the landscape and take a 3D tour of the proposed development pattern.
  • Allows users to manipulate a virtual representation of a township or proposed development to achieve specific goals or outcomes.
  • Helps to achieve informed and collaborative decisions about possible development changes in the community.

    • "Visualization is the common language for communication," says Orton Family Foundation founder Lyman Orton explaining his motivation for creating CommunityVizTM. "Up until now, we have not had the tools to fully utilize the power of visualization for community planning. CommunityViz harnesses this power to help planners and citizens work together to shape their communities."

    For more information about CommuntiyVizTM visit the Orton Family Foundtion web site at www.orton.org or visit www.communityviz.com.
    		 
    This page was last updated on February 6, 2005