Visual impact assessments are used to determine if the visual quality objective target of an area will be met if the proposed harvested activities take place. Visual quality objectives (VQO) are assigned to areas based on how visually sensitive a landscape is.
For the Interfor division that I work in, visual impact assessment renderings are being created by contractors. My supervisor came up with the great idea to bring the process in-house and he assigned the task to me as my term project.
There are two ways we looked at for creating the 3D renderings. One uses ArcScene and the other ArcPro. ArcScene is an older program that creates a more animated looking rendering. ArcPro is a newer program and adds imagery to the rendering to create a more realistic look.
The first step was to acquire the spatial data to create the models in ArcMap. Once the data is complied, I created two different sets of geoprocessing steps to create ArcScene and ArcPro renderings. Multiple geoprocessing steps are completed, and the result is a data set ready to be placed in ArcScene or ArcPro.
The data sits on a digital surface model (DSM). A DSM is an elevation model that has the above ground elevations, including vegetation. When I place the prepared spatial on the DSM, the features become 3D. Hills, gullies, and vegetation heights appear in the model.
Once I am happy with the way the 3D model looks I ‘take photos’ from a selected viewpoint. The viewpoint is selected from a planning forester. The viewpoint is from a spot where the blocks are most likely to be visible to the public. I take my photos from ~6ft above the surface level of the model to simulate what it would look like if I was standing at the viewpoint. I take my photos in a predetermined azimuth. Once I have taken the photos that represent that landscape, I stitch them together to create a panorama.
Once a panoramic photo is complete, I label the blocks, place them on a template and hand it over to the forester to delineate the landforms. Landforms are used to determine the percent alteration to the landscape for each cutblock.
The process to create the 3D renderings was a huge learning process and it continues to be with each one I make. I love learning the capabilities of ArcGIS. It is exciting to continue diving deeper into the GIS world.
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