May 14 2007

Steven Purcell, the Leader of Glasgow City Council, has launched the first version of the Glasgow Urban Model – an interactive online 3-D map of the city centre and Clyde Corridor.

The model, which can be accessed from www.glasgow.gov.uk/urbanmodel, has been developed over the past two years by Digital Design Studio at the Glasgow School of Art at a cost of £450,000. The detailed model will be completed by August and it is anticipated that a second phase will be commissioned which will cover the entire city.

The model can currently be viewed from a PC (Mac users – it's the naughty step for you) with TerraExplorer free software. The model has been developed in line with Scottish Executive’s policy on improving digital access to public information and it is hoped that it will be used to improve communication within the planning process and attract more investment to the city by making it easier for businesses to see potential development opportunities.

The project should allow the public to engage with the future design and development of the city. The model may also be used as a tourism tool, with potential visitors and able to access Glasgow’s unique built heritage from anywhere in the world.

Doug Pritchard, the Head of Visualisation at the Glasgow School of Art, leads the expert team of 3D scanners, designers and modellers who mapped every inch of the city centre and Clyde regeneration corridor. He said: "This was a massive project, where we scanned the façade of the buildings to an accuracy of 5mm."

A team of eight designers worked on the project at the Digital Design Studio, in partnership with Council officials in Development and Regeneration and Land and Environmental Services. The city council are looking for feedback on the performance fo the site.

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