A review on techniques applied to modelling, simulating and visualising evolution of physical landscape

Abstract

The paper considers contemporary physical landscape visualisation and simulation models that are used for impact analysis and decision making for geographical location studies. For this purpose a generic framework is presented that provides professionals with a tool to facilitate decision making. The main reasons for the framework construction are to provide a rigorous approach to the task of studying the evolution of physical landscapes, and to provide appropriate data for forecasting and scenario projections using computational simulations that reflect future changes. The framework is based on an in-depth analysis and assessment of a landscape monitored over time. On satisfactory completion of landscape models construction, the set of models developed are then used for the construction of visualisation images to represent the entire evolutionary process of the landscape. This framework includes functions through which users can generate visualisation models either with twodimensional maps and/or interactive immersive three dimensional images. © 2009 IEEE.