A. Project summary

ITR/AP(BCS/GRS): Computational dynamic landscape manipulation and optimization for OPEN source GIS

L. Mitas, T.G. Drake, H. Mitasova, R. St. Amant, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

New mapping and monitoring technologies generate large volumes of high resolution spatio-temporal data and provide unique opportunities to dramatically improve environmental protection. The major challenge is to develop a new generation of tools for effective use of these data for environmentally and economically sound land management. The goal of this project is to develop virtual environment and computational approaches supporting sustainable landscape development, test it on case studies and provide the results to the community through the Open Source Geographic Information System (GIS) infrastructure. The proposed research strategy is based on a close collaboration between GIScience, Computer science, Earth science, and Computational physics providing the synergy which can stimulate innovative advances in landscape simulations and planning.

The developments of simulation, optimization and virtual manipulation tools will be based on a multi-scale, 3D dynamic representation of landscape continuously updated through the links to the field sensors and mapping units. Selection of optimal monitoring sites will be based on virtual representations of future landscape development. Spatial simulations of landscape processes with data adaptive capabilities will provide the necessary diagnostic tools for assessment of the current state, prediction tools for evaluation of the planned land use impacts and tools supporting landscape manipulation and optimization with a potential to develop innovative conservation strategies. New robust and scalable methods will be explored including path sampling approaches based on the duality between particles and fields. Spatial optimization of complex systems will be aimed at finding optimal compromises between conflicting demands or finding landscape pattern solutions within the prescribed constraints. Intelligent virtual environment for simulation and interaction with landscapes will focus on visual tools for interactive manipulation of landscape which will allow the user to select a general object (e.g. conservation measure) and locate it at a desired site with automatic adapting of its shape and properties using the data provided by spatial analysis and simulation of relevant processes. The developed methods will be implemented within the Open source GIS GRASS5. GRASS is one of the top ten Open Source projects and it has played a pioneering role in integrating GIS with environmental modeling and visualization. The implementation will contribute to the rapidly growing open source geospatial computing infrastructure and it will be leveraged by the NCSU-IBM/RedHat Open Source Initiative.

The main expected outcome will be the integration of intelligent virtual environment which will enable the users visualize and interact with 3D dynamic landscapes and introduce modifications of the landscape features during an ongoing simulation. The interaction with landscape processes will allow users to "feel" the impact of their actions and explore various solutions. This would be especially important for the decision making process when the stake holders with very specific and often differing views (e.g. developers, local government, landowners, environmental groups) will be able to present their proposals and concerns and the entire group will be able to view and evaluate the impacts. The developed concepts and prototypes will be tested using two different study areas: a) Centennial Campus - a new Technopolis community being developed by NCSU, b) Jockey Ridge section of highly dynamic North Carolina coastal region.