The Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD has spearheaded advancements in urban planning through its innovative 3d visualisierung frankfurt technologies. These tools are designed to foster inclusive and transparent urban planning processes in the Smart City era. The institute has developed two key digital urban planning systems:
- AktVis: An interactive 3D web application to facilitate the exchange and discussion of future urban development ideas. It processes and integrates municipal geodata into an interactive visualization environment, enhancing the planning process’s transparency and aiding communication among all stakeholders involved, including city planners, architects, infrastructure companies, and residents. This tool has been instrumental in public hearings and is aimed at reviving and structurally upgrading historic city centers.
- Smarticipate: A platform developed under the EU project that allows the public to submit and receive feedback on neighborhood development ideas online. This tool links with available urban planning data sources, providing direct feasibility feedback, thus ensuring that only viable and publicly acceptable ideas are considered by city governments. Smarticipate has been tested in cities like Rome, London, and Hamburg, and is now available for licensing or further development of original scenarios.
These technologies contribute to Smart City concepts by offering solutions for digital city management, safety, resource planning, environmental monitoring, building management and analysis, traffic planning, and mobility. Fraunhofer IGD’s expertise in visual computing plays a pivotal role in optimizing infrastructure and promoting sustainable urban development through smart services that integrate data processing and big data analytics1.
