We are beginning to develop
A Model
of Ecological Dynamics
Model 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 wiil
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
scenarios can be tested quickly--for biological appropriateness and probability
of success and for aesthetic appropriateness.
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