An new innovative tool in the Places and Flows Lab

A projection-augmented sandbox 

What do polymer-enriched sand, coloured felt, a projector and GIS have in common one might think? Tangible Landscape offers a unique and hands-on approach to interacting with geographic data, setting it apart from traditional GIS. By sculpting the polymer-enriched sand and reshaping the topography, users can directly influence the landscape and observe the effect on environmental processes. Based on the intended outcomes, many different processes can be simulated, such as the flow of water, creating new streams and lakes, or the effect of planting forests or different types of vegetation in an area. It can also simulate floods, be used to forecast visitor movements in an urban area, assist with optimal park design, or determine the effects of fertiliser in agricultural areas. 

This open-source interface, powered by GRASS GIS and Blender, couples a physical model with a digital one, enabling users to naturally feel, reshape, and interact with the landscape. 

This approach not only makes GIS and 3D modelling more approachable but also empowers geospatial experts to communicate complex environmental phenomena and opens up exciting opportunities for developers, such as integrating GIS into serious gaming.

These capabilities make Tangible Landscape a powerful tool for collaborative projects, educational purposes, and innovative applications in various fields, enhancing the way we understand and interact with geographic data. The real-time feedback cycle enhances the intuitive and immersive experience.

Forts in transition

The Tangible Landscape is currently used for Forts in transition, a project led by Ondrej Mitas and the research group of Tourism Impacts on Society.

During the demonstration, Caitlin Haedrich displayed a sand-sculped model of Fort Sabina. Caitlin is Geospatial Analytics PhD student at North Carolina State University, and was a guest of the Places and Flows team from 14 March through 8 April. She develops Tangible Landscape activities for decision-making and contributes to GRASS GIS.

The Fort was formed on the basis of a 3D printed mold. An emotion map was projected onto the model, based on research conducted (Emotion effectiveness at Fort Sabina), making use of technology from our Experience Lab. In addition, a visitor's field of vision was projected. Based on a pawn, participants could play with this field of vision and adjust the contours of the fort by adding or removing sand.

Forts in Transition utilises this data to guide policymakers in prioritising decisions for renovation plans at other forts associated with the project.

Envisioning future collaborations: enhancing city centres 

’As for the next steps, it would be amazing to collaborate with a city to use the Tangible Landscape for activities in the city centre. For example, visualising crowd movements during events based on the collected data, aiding in crowd management and simulating various scenarios.’

Places and Flows

Places and Flows is a cross-domain Research & Development/Design theme at BUas, bringing together knowledge and expertise of all academies. The development of the Places and Flows Lab is one of the theme's activities .

‘Places’ refer to the physical environments where people live, work, play, and travel, such as streets, squares, neighborhoods, cities, parks, and transport nodes. ‘Flows’ encompass the movement of people, goods, services, capital, and information within our networked society. At BUas, we focus on the flows related to leisure, tourism, and hospitality activities and their impacts on these places.

For more information about Places and Flows, please contact Jeroen Klijs, [email protected] or Paul van de Coevering, [email protected].