Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: There is no need for soothsayers to predict the future of digital technology for the purpose of site-specific landscape architectural terrain analysis, measurement, and documentation. It will be handheld, respectively mobile and light, broadly affordable, and will allow digital landscape capture in the form of three-dimensional data progressively in high precision, high density, and geo-referenced manner. Landscape data of that ilk, which emanate from high-capacity depth cameras as well as terrestrial laser scanners, can be made available with high visual clarity and aesthetic allure. A common result of the capture technique is their interim, respectively final transformation into point clouds, contingent upon their way of generation, purpose and application. Point clouds of every occurrence and scale at present become the most relevant digital slug as well as virtual modeling clay of the landscape architectural design discipline. With our heads in the point clouds, operating as research-oriented landscape architects in the context of academic design projects, we insist upon the necessity of working in situ and putting our feet on the ground. This axiom enables us to do fieldwork in undocumented or data-poor mega-urban environments, often under the urban canopy and in urban canyons where remote sensing technology fails to act. We experiment with all sorts of independent measuring and urban terrain data gathering technology that can be carried in the field. We continue to advocate the creative utilisation of inexpensive, ordinary tools and off-the-shelf technology. Having said that, the grasp at more sophisticated, more expensive, and more flamboyant technology remained appealing during the past years of our research. When such costly state-of-the-art technology became available to our university department, we took them to harsh megacity environments and tested their capacities and limits. This move signified a review of the theses and methods inherent to our general concept of Grassroots GIS – inclusive surprises and reassurances. For example, working in crowded informal narrow city layouts makes operations with laser-beam emitting terrain scanners Gordian. While the use of unmanned aerial vehicles carrying powerful cameras does not always have to end admissibly. These are the moments when the reliability of mature and frugal technology, as well as improvisation and tinkering skills, may steal the show.
Authors: Rekittke, Joerg, Ninsalam, Yazid
Language: English
Subfield: Geology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2325231799