 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| back | fwd |
Abstract
Visualizing Forest Landscapes Using ARC GRID and the World Construction Set Rendering Engine
Track: Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management
Author(s): Jeffery Sherman Nighbert
The presentation will discuss in detail how forest landscapes were visualized using the ARC GRID extension to ArcInfo, and a "rendering" engine at the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office. The World Construction Set (WCS) rendering engine offers sophisticated and highly realistic portrayals of nature by using a combination of photo images of foliage and mathematically derived atmospheric and lighting effects. Unfortunately, WCS lacks GIS analytical, database, and programming functions which are needed to create "place specific models" of forest behavior. The ARC GRID system, of course, provides a full complement of these analytical, database, and programming functions required to simulate forest behavior with geographical accuracy. But ARC GRID lacks the rendering capabilities for truly "photo-realistic" portrayals of nature. Together these two complementary software programs can simulate forest growth, harvest, green tree retention, density management, and species encroachment with amazing realism. Behavior models were programmed using ARC GRID and ARC Macro Language (AML) to simulate forest growth, harvest, species distribution, and density management to graphically analyze "cumulative effects" of the Northwest Forest Plan in the Upper Smith River Watershed. The presentation will cover programming models (on a nontechnical - "no code" level), creation of translation images to bridge software programs, and products generated. Examples from the Upper Smith Watershed project and several other ongoing Bureau of Land Management projects will be shown.
Jeffery Sherman Nighbert
Bureau of Land Management
P.O. Box 2965
Portland, OR 97208-2965
USA
Phone: 503-952-6399
Fax: 503-952-6419
E-mail: jnighber@or.blm.gov