Introduction to Climate-Resilient Infrastructure
The climate crisis has intensified the frequency and severity of flooding for a lot of communities, prompting cities to show to climate-resilient infrastructure. At the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, a growing challenge is communicating these solutions to residents and officials. To address this issue, the council has partnered with InCitu, a New York-based augmented reality startup, to present communities a clearer picture of future infrastructure developments.
A New View on Infrastructure Projects
InCitu’s CEO, Dana Chermesh-Reshef, founded the corporate in 2020 after realizing that traditional software tools used to present infrastructure projects struggled to point out a project’s full scale and scope from various angles. InCitu’s smartphone-based platform tackles this by turning 3D models into AR visuals, helping people see a project as it could appear in real life. Users can scan a QR code with a smartphone camera at a construction site to view the life-sized AR visualization.
How InCitu Works
InCitu uses geospatial data, which pulls on satellite and street view imagery, to make a decision where an imported 3D model should appear for on-site viewing. Geospatial data can be used to maintain the 3D model in the fitting location as a user moves around it in the actual world. This allows users to walk around a project and look at it from any angle they will access. InCitu also supports off-site viewing, so users can view a 3D model of the project without visiting its geographical location.
Using AR to Visualize a Climate-Resilient Future
Sarah Vitale, the director of civic technology on the TBRPC, used InCitu to point out three AR models of latest projects during on-site visits near the annual regional resiliency summit. The models included a house elevated on stilts to show flood-resistant construction, a bioswale showing natural stormwater management, and a living shoreline that uses natural materials to combat eroding beaches. Vitale said that the reception to InCitu has been positive, and the organization plans to make use of the technology to teach students at local high schools about bioswales and other infrastructure solutions to flooding.
The Benefits of AR in Urban Planning
Vitale believes that the usage of AR tools like InCitu will turn out to be standard practice in urban planning as newer, younger graduates with higher knowledge of 3D modeling, AR, and other latest technologies enter the sphere. The technology can reduce "engagement fatigue" that may accompany lengthy meetings and sophisticated 2D visualizations. InCitu has already revamped 5,000 future developments available in AR, and over 250,000 residents have viewed future projects near their communities using the corporate’s AR platform.
Conclusion
The use of augmented reality technology like InCitu has the potential to revolutionize the best way communities engage with infrastructure projects. By providing a transparent and immersive visualization of future developments, InCitu might help residents and officials make more informed decisions about climate-resilient infrastructure. As the technology continues to evolve and improve, it’s prone to play an increasingly vital role in shaping the longer term of urban planning and community development.
