Abstract

Digital City Initiatives for Small Municipalities and Rural Areas
Track: State and Local Government
Authors: Susan Bergeron

Initiatives to develop digital city models, or 'smart cities', have been gaining prominence within the past year, as more people become aware of the power of GIS coupled with 3D visualization to allow government officials and managers to manage assets and perform day-to-day operations, develop sustainable planning initiatives, and collaborate between expert and non-expert groups. However, much of the focus of this new research and implementation has been on large cities, which already often possess many of the tools and experts necessary to implement such digital city models. This paper will explore how the digital city idea can be utilized in the context of a small municipality or even a largely rural area with limited resources, to leverage 3D visualization and GIS, including ArcGIS Explorer, to allow local officials, citizen participants, and experts to come together and collaborate on equal footing.

Susan Bergeron
West Virginia University
Dept of Geology and Geography
330 Brooks Hall
Morgantown, West Virginia 26506
United States
Phone: 304-293-5603
E-mail: sue.bergeron@mail.wvu.edu