The Web dramatically increases the demand for geographic information systems, as it provides the ideal vehicle for delivering maps directly to businesses and the public. An astonishing amount of public domain information is already available from government agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey and the Census Bureau. Until now, most of that information, although technically in the public domain, was not very accessible. Many local governments have invested heavily in GIS, only to see the information used by only a handful of people. The Internet will change that by opening a much wider distribution channel for these maps.

Some localities are moving to integrate their GIS systems on a regional basis. The Smart Permit Initiative in Silicon Valley, is seeking to create a region-wide GIS to counter the unfortunate habit of individual local jurisdictions to develop systems that are incompatible with their neighbors’. This region-wide GIS will be fully integrated with the Internet and accessible to planners, architects, developers, and citizens via the Web. A standardized list of data themes will help the valley make intelligent decisions on issues of region-wide impact, including land use, transportation, open space, and jobs/housing balance.

A Web-based multimedia urban design visualization system, developed for the National Capitol Planning Commission by Michael J. Shiffer of MIT.

Planners are turning to visual and interactive media to engage the public in important decisions regarding land use, transportation, and redevelopment. Michael Shiffer of MIT has developed a Collaborative Planning System (CPS) for group decision support in city planning. For Shiffer, an effective computer-mediated planning system must, at a minimum, be able to:

• Use multimedia to convey otherwise abstract information to nonspecialists, with an unthreatening interface geared to the nontechnical user. Appropriate media might include scanned maps, photos, video, QuickTime VR, and sound. Shiffer believes the potential for multimedia in urban simulation is unlimited. He wants systems that accurately simulate traffic noise and model the effect of sound-screening devices or that simulate aircraft sound from various locations, accounting for wind and other variables. Shiffer is developing the means to model the impact of traffic congestion on neighborhoods, not just with the dry data that traffic engineers usually generate—trips per hour, levels of service, and so on—but in ways people can actually experience, by allowing users to call up video images showing level of service D, for example, with accompanying sound clips of prerecorded traffic, so that they can understand what the planning jargon really means.

• Employ virtual navigation systems to allow stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the areas being discussed.

• Provide a method of evaluation, enabling users to rank attributes and preferences from among presented alternatives.

• Provide for annotation by users, and therefore act as a spatially oriented collective memory. It must allow for brainstorming by groups, allowing participants to make connections from among the various pieces of information. Such systems must be able to “mature”—that is, their usefulness will improve over time as more users interact with them and build layers of information.

A recent Web-based CPS system was developed by Shiffer for Washington’s National Capital Planning Commission (see above).

Density is a hot button in many planning controversies. Opponents and supporters each make conflicting claims about how a proposal will or will not increase density, and what that will mean to the community. But even experienced planners find it almost impossible to visualize density impacts accurately with the tools that are commonly used. Such issues lend themselves to multimedia or at least visual explication.

The Metro Planning Department in Portland, Oregon, uses the Web to enable citizens to envision housing density.

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