A Bird's Eye View of Harvard: Taking GIS into the 3rd Dimension

Description:

In support of current efforts to develop master plans for the future development of the Harvard campus in Allston and elsewhere, the Property Information group at Harvard Planning & Real Estate is in the process of creating 3D models of all campus buildings. Combining these models with traditional planar data layers such as orthophotos and planimetric data, and linking them to databases with additional building information such as materials and colors will allow planners to create semi-realistic interactive 3D views of the existing and proposed campus environment. Using the models, proposed development schemes can be evaluated in terms of sight lines and massing, while University and community stakeholders can more readily visualize their impact. Approximately half of the buildings on campus have been modeled, with initiatives underway to complete the model over the next several months. Extruded proxies for missing buildings and non-Harvard buildings in the surrounding community are also available.