We are beginning to develop
A
Model of Ecological Dynamics
Users will be able to propose landscape
design--planting, topography, waterway configurations, benches,
ballfields, bridges, and so forth--in a three dimensional digial
medium. They will be able to choose three-dimensional models of
plants from a user-friendly library of species and place them within
the Fens' digital landscape. A computer program will analyze users'
choices according to a series of geographic information system (GIS)
layers that characterize the environmental conditions of the Fens
landscape--land use and maintenance patterns, soil physical properties,
solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit, precipitation data, slope,
and flooding.
The results will be displayed through
a three-dimensional digital computer animation of vegetation growth
from its planting to its maturity. The model will be a pilot and
can be applied to numerous cities with similar environments.
The animation demonstrates how
various planting scenarios can be tested quickly--for biological
appropriateness and probability of success and for aesthetic appropriateness.
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