Using 3-D Landscape Visualization to Simulate Forest
Management Impacts
David J. Buckley
Pacific Meridian Resources
Joseph K. Berry
Berry & Associates
Craig Ulbright
Software Developer
Landscape Structure Analysis/Visualization
Web Site: www.innovativegis.com
To find out more about Landscape
Structure Analysis and
Visualization, visit our Web Site.
You will find a wide array of
information ranging from papers
and presentations to project
overviews and case studies.
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (3-D Rendering)
•
Integration of existing technologies
 Commercial GIS software
has limited capabilities for
realistic 3-D visualization
 Scientific visualization
software is readily available but
at individual plot/stand level only
 Virtual reality techniques are
increasingly used in computer games
and film making.
3-D Object Rendering (USFS SVS, 6/97)
•
Non-traditional GIS techniques
 3-D object rendering (trees, soil, buildings)
 Map animation (2-D and 3-D)
 Linking video/photos to maps
“Multimedia GIS”
(Berry)
3-D Visualization Approaches
SportsTracker (MapTrek, 9/98)
Image Draping -- is
an established technique in
GIS. Draping a topographic or
thematic map onto a 3-D
terrain surface is effective but
relies on abstract colors,
shading and symbols. Draping
a satellite image, such as a
digital orthophoto, results in
good surface texture and can
produce visualizations suitable
for depicting landscape-scale
vegetation patterns. However,
the 3-D nature of landscape
objects are not depicted and
severe “pixelization” occurs in
the foreground.
3-D Analyst (ESRI, 9/98)
10m SPOT using ArcTIN (ESRI, 6/95)
(Berry)
3-D Visualization Approaches (continued)
Video Imaging -- is a computer technique that "cuts-and-pastes”
digital photographic images to represent changes on the landscape. This
approach produces high quality visualization output, but it is very
manually intensive, contains no direct geo-referencing to a GIS database
and often suffers from the artistic/subjective nature of the creation process.
(Imaging Systems Lab, Brian Orland, Director, University of Illinois, Dept. of Landscape Architecture)
Left image is an actual photo of western spruce budworm damage in the Deschutes NF, Oregon. Right image depicts what the
same place might look like 5 years after the dead/damaged trees are removed. The diseased trees are “manually” erased from the
scene and background trees and shrubs are inserted “pasted” in their place.
(Berry)
3-D Visualization Approaches (continued)
Geometric Video Imaging -- combines video-imaging techniques
with geometric registration, typically undertaken within a GIS. It's rarely used
on a production basis, due to the difficulty in accurately geo-referencing the
photographic video image with the 3-D perspective framework (wire-frames)
generated by the GIS system.
Virtual Forest (Innovative Gis, 9/98)
Geometric Modeling -builds a 3-D geometric
representation of individual
landscape features, such as trees,
represented as geometric objects
(simple cones or complex tree
shapes). The individual objects are
assembled to create a forest stand
or landscape view depicting the
perspective from a given viewpoint.
3-D Rendering utilizes GIS
inventories of tree types and
“Virtual Reality”
densities.
SmartForest (Orland, 9/98)
(Berry)
3-D Rendering: Tree Design
…3-D object design (trees)
The Tree
Designer
is used to
build custom 3-D tree symbols
that represent forest
components, such as different
species, multi-age trees,
seasonal effects, shrubs, and
snags
3-D trees with several sun angles are
created and stored as bit mapped images for
polygon rendering
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Rendering Technique)
“Laying the Carpet”
Step 1) 3-D Terrain Surface
Step 2) Polygon Containers
Step 3) Surface Texture
Step 4) Tree Objects
Step 5) Final Composition
Step 6) Atmospheric Effects
“Pouring the Trees”
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Rendering Technique)
Rendered Scene
GIS dB
Tree Symbol
%Maturity
#Trees
Landscape Visualization (GIS Rendering)
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (GIS Rendering)
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (GIS Rendering)
(Berry)
Visualizing Forest Conditions
…changing the
landscape’s carpet and
objects
Before Fire
After Fire
Summer
Winter
After Snowfall
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 1)
…with classified forest
polygons
Darker boundary lines
identify forest parcels
used for 3-D rendered
scenes
 Species
 Stocking
 Height/age
 Ground Cover
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 1)
This is a general image of the watershed surrounding the primary lake showing
harvest blocks. Texture Mapping is used to provide a realistic sky and lake
surface as well as underlying colors for the blocks. Note the different species in
the foreground stands (bottom left). This represents a multi-species stand.
Target
Observer
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 1)
This view provides a ridge viewpoint overlooking the lake and adjoining harvest
blocks. Note that there is little distinction in density of trees for the nonproductive stands that cap the ridge areas compared to stands classified as
productive on the hillsides. A rock slide also appears in this view in the lower
right.
Target
Observer
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 1)
Trees have been reduced by 50% and re-planted for the non-productive stands
that cap the ridges. Different textures have also been applied to the nonproductive stands and the harvest blocks to aid in their distinction. Note the
different underlying colors for the blocks in the valley at the end of the lake and
the non-productive, less dense stands on the higher elevations.
Target
Observer
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 1)
This image presents a 'boat' viewpoint from the middle of the lake. The
viewpoint is directly above the primary lake looking down the valley towards the
harvest blocks.
Observer
Target
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 1)
This image illustrates how fog and haze can be used to add more realism to a
forested visualization. Note the enhancement of the ridge in the foreground on
the right side of the image.
Observer
Target
(Berry)
Virtual Fly-By
Animation provides an added dimension to 3-D visualization…
movement in space and time
…rapidly sequencing a
series of 3-D renderings
creates a sense of
movement
“Fly-By”
(Berry)
Rendering “Fidelity”
Data Richness determines the
“fidelity” of a landscape
rendering.
Ground cover and tree
objects are assigned to
polygons based on inferred
forest conditions (limited
data richness)…
through detailed forest
inventories (robust data
richness)
UPSHOT!!!
…3-D rendering introduces a new element to “map accuracy”
1) Spatial Accuracy (positional), 2) Thematic Accuracy (classification)
and 3) Rendering Fidelity (cartographic)
(Berry)
3-D Rendering Summary
The integration of GIS and
visualization technologies provides
an operational platform for natural
resource professionals and general
public to consider the aesthetic
impacts of landscape alternatives.
“point and click” data retrieval
The striking realism of the rendered visualizations enhance communication
of management plans in a more effective form.
Future developments will extend these capabilities to a fully integrated view
allowing interactive query of the 3-D rendered scene... Point-and-Click
for text/data summaries
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 2)
Analysis of topographic information, provincial forest inventory and Landsat
imagery of the Redfish Creek watershed near Nelson, BC, was used to derive
landscape characteristics.
Band 5
Band 4
Band 3
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 2)
Most Similar Neighbor analysis using canonical correlation was applied to find
the best correspondence between the intensively inventoried subset of the
landscape, about 20-25% of stands, and a less intensively sampled classified
remotely sensed image…
(ESSA Technologies, Vancouver, BC)
…the classified
map was combined
with the DEM and
an older Aerial
photo interpreted
derived inventory,
to generate an
updated inventory
(1999) for each
forest stand.
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 2)
Study area landscape with draped texture map, hydrography is in blue, roads in
brown and primary forest stands in gold (3,699 polygons). Key viewpoint
locations and orientation are identified.
(Pacific Meridian Resources, Fort Collins, CO)
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Case Study 2)
The new inventory was then modeled using the Prognosis Model…
growing trees, predicting mortality, establishing regeneration, predicting non-tree vegetation development, performing
management activities, and calculating tree volumes
to simulate the landscape for 50 years under different management regimes.
Viewpoint 2
Viewpoint 3
Initial Conditions 1999
Unmanaged 2049
Initial Conditions 1999
Unmanaged 2049
Patch-Cutting 2049
Balanced Regime 2049
Patch-Cutting 2049
Balanced Regime 2049
(Berry)
Viewpoint 3 , Initial Conditions 1999
(Berry)
Viewpoint 3 , Unmanaged 2049
(Berry)
Viewpoint 3 , Patch-Cutting 2049
(Berry)
Viewpoint 3 – Balanced Regime 2049
(Berry)
Example Project
Using Advanced 3-D Visualization
Techniques to Assess Historical
Forested Landscapes
GIS Applications in Forestry and
Resource Management
Landscape Visualization Summary
GIS technology provides a new environment for more effectively
communicating landscape characteristics and conditions-moves maps beyond “abstraction to realism.”
3-D Rendering enables users to visualize
forest inventory data and simulate...
“what could be.”
Video Mapping enables capture data and
images within its actual spatial context...
“what is.”
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Video Mapping)
Documenting “real-world” conditions
Multimedia GIS
can be
used to document actual
conditions.
Video Mapping georegisters…
 Streaming Video
 Still Images
 Audio
 Text
 Data
…of existing landscape
characteristics
High Rendering Fidelity
(Berry)
Landscape Visualization (Video Mapping)
VMS200 by Red Hen Systems
Imagery
organized by
When and
Where
GPS coordinates are
“stamped” directly on the
video tape every second…
…a database linking the
GPS coordinates and tape
position is automatically
generated and used to
construct a map of
imagery locations.
(Berry)
Going Beyond Landscape Visualization
Landscape Structure Analysis provides
information on the patterns and arrangements
of landscape features…
“puzzle pieces.”
GIS Modeling provides a wealth of
analytical tools that characterize spatial
relationships...
“spatial interaction and context.”
(Berry)
Unabashed Plug for Map-ematics
Surface Modeling
Spatial Analysis
GeoStatistics