Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
12
Landscape Visualization:
Science and Art
Gary Priestnall and Derek Hampson
School of Geography, University of Nottingham
School of Fine Art, University College for the Creative Arts, Canterbury
12.1 Landscape visualization: contexts of use
The launch of Google Earth in June 2005 boosted public awareness of both digital geographic
information and visualization techniques in a way probably not seen before. Although other
web-based 'virtual globes' existed, the level of detail, ease of interaction and wide acceptance
of the search engine helped to propel Google Earth into millions of homes around the
world. The arrival of Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D late in 2006 gave users alternative data
coverage and representations. Aside from the clear potential for posting and sharing spatially
tagged information set in a global context, virtual globes are raising both awareness and
expectations of what is possible in terms of interactive photorealistic visualization. Big
steps have also been taken by the computer games industry along a similar timeframe with
the launch of Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, offering a new level of detail and
photorealism. Large development teams will ensure rapid progress in both virtual globes and
games technologies, underpinned by continued developments in computer hardware. Any
attempt to create and visualize a virtual landscape in any other context will inevitably run the
risk of being compared with these widely available representations. Landscape visualization
is used in both education and public consultation to communicate existing landscapes but
also alternative scenarios, past and present. There is a tendency to strive for photo-realism, in
part a response to the developments described above, and in so doing make the visualization
believable. With this often comes an acceptance from the observer that the visualization
represents truth, a surrogate for the real landscape. In this chapter we seek to explore how
landscape visualizations relate to our experience of the real landscapes concerned. First we
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