CommunityViz
Summary
“CommunityViz is advanced yet easy-to-use GIS software designed to help people visualize, analyze, and communicate about important community planning decisions.”
Tool Description
CommunityViz is a 3-D analysis and scenario planning extension for ArcGIS, created by the Orton Family Foundation and administered by Placeways LLC. The software “shows” you the implications of various planning decisions and scenarios and offers a range of tools for community design and planning, including development of realistic 3-D models, buildout analysis, and scene export capability for GoogleEarth. CommunityViz has been used extensively in conjunction with chip games and electronic meeting tools and as a facilitation tool to help groups understand and make better planning decisions.
Features include:
- Display windows that can be customized to show a GIS view, charts, models, and/or tables simultaneously. Updating one variable will update all the displays.
- Attributes, indicators, and equations that allow users to examine how different factors and data variables interact with one another.
- Wizards to allow for quick Buildout Scenarios,
- Weighted factors that can be changed to show how different values and priorities impact the final analysis.
- SiteBuilder 3D component, which allows users to build complex, interactive, photorealistic 3D scenes from two dimensional data, which can be explored with ArcGIS flythrough technology or GoogleEarth.
- ModelBuilder3D component, which allows users to generate realistic models of objects such as buildings and trees.
Summary of Costs
$1,000-9,999
Associated Costs
- Acquisition
- Consulting
- Technical Assistance
- Training
Strengths
- 3-D visualization and modeling can be incredibly powerful in showing people how a potential planning decision would look and feel
- Assumptions and values can be changed on the fly and immediately used to update the analysis, which is helpful for group discussions and presentations
- CommunityViz integrates seamlessly with ArcGIS and works with other tools like Google Earth and SketchUp
- CommunityViz is one of the more affordable 3-D visualization and modeling platforms available
Limitations
- CommunityViz relies on GIS, so communities without robust GIS programs and skilled practitioners may be unable to use it
- Models and analyses are only as good as the data that goes into them
- Some training and time is required even for advanced GIS users to learn CommunityViz
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Submitted By:
admin
Last Updated: February 3, 2012, 10:17 am
Submitted by Chris Gomez (not verified) on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 18:55.
I couldn't disagree more! While CommunityViz may seem intimidating to master, there is great functionality in many of its simple "wizard" tools on offer. In fact, I would go so far to say that CV actually makes planning more accessible to the “common person” by presenting complicated analyses in an easy to understand manner.
I have experienced great success using CV in the NYC metro area by challenging community members to identify the specific issues they want to study, no matter the complexity. As a planner I “drive” the process and they jump aboard - a total win-win. After all, the citizenry need not understand all the technology, their value added is community input and insight.
And you certainly can’t put a price tag on quality community planning…
Submitted by Tiris (not verified) on Sun, 04/10/2011 - 09:01.
This tool seems overly expensive and time consuming for use on a community level.
Surely it would be easier to print a map out and draw/paint on it than it is to build 3D models in this software. A more important question when dealing with this sort of tool is "Is the tool accessible to use for everyone in the community?"
At the mentioned $350 starting cost and technical ability needed to drive such a software I am not sure that many common people that make up the community could help to shape their future with this software.
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