Interactive Visualization in modeling urban development

This paper describes the use of an Interactive Visualization Tool (InViTo) for supporting discussion in planning and decision-making processes. InViTo is a research project based on the combined use of Excel, Google Earth and Grasshopper, a free plug-in for McNeel’s Rhinoceros, which allows to work with databases in a parametric and interactive environment. Since Grasshopper can use mathematical functions to transform 3D data, it can reproduce the behaviour of simulation tools, allowing users to completely customize models, functions and tasks. Through the real-time generation of three-dimensional volumes directly from datasheets, InViTo produces visualizations of urban and regional areas, which can be displayed also in Google Earth virtual globe. Thanks to its interactive properties, it aims to avoid “black box” simulations and to explain cause-effect relations occurring in urban dynamics, so that it is particularly indicated for enabling discussion and information sharing in participative and collaborative processes.