Multidimensional Web GIS Approach for Citizen Participation on Urban Evolution

Web-mapping has been widely used to facilitate citizen participation in smart cities. Web-mapping has evolved from 2D static maps towards more dynamic and immersive 3D worlds such as virtual globes and scenes. Although current technologies allow us to build multidimensional representations, there is still a lack of research studies on how to further leverage them to foster citizen participation. Information on space–time changes can be an important asset for a successful citizen participation process. Citizens may need to track the evolution of their city over space and time, and how their participation will impact the urban planning and decision-making process. Consequently, the main objective of this research study is to design and develop a multidimensional (2D, 3D, 4D) web-mapping platform where citizens can better assess and understand the spatiotemporal evolution of their cities. User testing was conducted to assess the multidimensional representation of the animations used, and the spatiotemporal mechanism and interface features. Results showed that it is recommended to integrate spatiotemporal simulations to citizen participation platforms so citizens can better assess the impacts of their choices. We also assessed that 3D does not always communicate information better than 2D. Future work will aim at testing the platform in a consultation process with a representative sample of participants.