Procedural landscape modeling with geographic information: the IMAGIS approach

In this paper, we present and discuss the procedural technology developed in the framework of the Imago Metropolis project, to model landscapes at regional scale. We call it “IMAGIS” to symbolize the alliance, in one single information system, of the two most powerful visual media for the representation of a territory: the image and the map. IMAGIS is an interface between the 2 D world of plans and the 3 D world of perspectives. It implements a set of procedures specifically designed to transform landscape forms described in a GIS quite synthetically by 2 D entities, into much more elaborate objects in a 3 D space. It is intended for creating broad landscape models, from which photorealistic images can be computed with Atelier de Modélisation de l’Architecture des Plantes (AMAP) software. AMAP is a modeling workshop allowing users to generate and visualize a large number of plant models at various growth stages. AMAP was created from the outset for the needs of agronomists who seek to simulate very accurately the architecture and growth behavior of plants, in a natural or a designed environment. It is now quite established in the realm of landscape architecture. IMAGIS is aiming at a different community of users: the planning and GIS organizations who need to visualize regional development plans for impact assessment, communication and decision-making purposes. Although, it may be applied in a wide variety of contexts, its built-in features makes it particularly suitable for suburban planning. The first part of the paper sets the rationale for the development of IMAGIS and focuses on issues of perception and representation of broad landscapes. The second part provides a short description of AMAP’s features and introduces IMAGIS’ new functions, showing how they widen the application spectrum of AMAP from the plant to the land cover. Finally, some preliminary conclusions from Imago Metropolis are presented, that set-up the agenda for future researches and developments in the field of landscape procedural modeling.