Interactive Web Visualisation of Proposals for Site Developments

X3D (eXtensible 3 Dimensions), the international standard for Web 3D, offers opportunities for the dynamic display and interoperability of data over the World Wide Web. One potential application relates to the process of urban planning in which applications are required to be made readily available for public comment. Relevant information is typically presented in the form of site plans and a limited number of architectural drawings that can be difficult for the general public to fully comprehend. Web3D models of proposals in the context of the site and viewed from different directions have the potential to provide the general public and the planning authority with a better understanding of the visual impact of the proposals. This paper, through a case study of a proposed residential development, demonstrates the use of standard Web browser as a GUI (graphical user interface) to control the display of a 3D model. The interactive, client side, visualization is achieved using AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML).