RAISING SPATIAL AND VISUALIZATION AWARENESS IN A TEACHING ENVIRONMENT

The requirements for visualization of existing and designed worlds are of increasing importance in the world today to maximize space, and minimize impact on the landscape. 3D City Modelling for virtual reality visualization is not new but due to the increases in computer power and flexibility in software there is wider availability of resources for visualization and therefore an increase in demand. The general public now has excellent opportunity to appreciate the benefits of 3D landscape models over the internet with products such as Google EarthTM and Microsoft Virtual EarthTM.With the ability to create 3D models of our environment within a computer system there is an increasing need to provide students with a range of new skills to build and use this geospatial information. Hugely dependent on computing and visualization capabilities the knowledge and skill base required by students is pushing the boundaries of our traditional scope of teaching in many disciplines. Fundamental to this learning experience is the need to develop a student’s 3D spatial awareness. An excellent way to start this is through relating the ‘computer generated worlds’ to the real world. The boundaries are becoming blurred between the technologies and procedures involved in traditional survey, mapping, and geospatial information collection and management. Technologies of GPS, photogrammetry, laser scanning and GIS are not just the tools of the professional surveyor or geographer they are becoming tools for an increasingly wide range of users. At The University of Nottingham the Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG) (part of the School of Civil Engineering), and the School of Geography have been working together to merge some of these geospatial information disciplines to enable students to learn more about the collection of spatial information, the handling and management of the information and the way in which this information can be visualised. 2D presentation of information is the traditional mapping and GIS approach but now GIS and CAD systems offer a range of capabilities to handle 3D information. Some might argue we are now working in 4 or more dimensions but fundamentally this is based on 3D coordinated spatial data. This geospatial information is now of frequent interest to industry and the public at large.Through recent research activities at The University of Nottingham in 3D model building and visualization there is now motivation to assess and enhance spatial awareness with teaching and learning activities. Some of this work forms part of a large collaborative project with the University of Leicester (lead partner) and University College London. The SPatial Literacy IN Teaching (SPLINT) project is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE). The work packages at Nottingham are based on building and using computer 3D environments and visualization in the laboratory (or lecture theatre) and also taking this geospatial information into the field for further visualization. By undertaking visualization in the field students will be presented with an opportunity to gain an appreciation of merging the real and computer based worlds.This paper will present current and possible future work at Nottingham with examples of work packages that are being introduced into teaching and learning. The SPLINT project has not only provided funding for staff but also to improve the teaching and learning environment with the refurbishment of laboratories and the purchase of new equipment. Conclusions will be drawn and thoughts for the future