Exploring Potential Benefits of Visualizing Canopy Cover Change in 3D Gaming Engine Environment

This research explores the innovative use of a 3D gaming engine, Minetest, for visualizing changes in canopy cover change at the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus, addressing the pressing challenge of urban expansion on green spaces. We compared and visualized canopy height change for UBC campus in both 2D traditional environment and 3D gaming engine environment and we revealed a consistency between the spatial patterns of canopy cover change observed in both environments. Our findings indicate 3D environment provided multi-dimensional insights into canopy cover changes, offering decision-makers more straightforward and transparent insight than traditional maps can achieve in an immersive and interactive environment. We observed there is a significant change in canopy cover with 25 percent loss in total where Wesbrook community area experienced the most significant canopy cover loss in past 5 years due to rapid urban development. Our findings goes beyond merely presenting geographic maps and attributes from a 3D voxel game perspective. Instead, it will serve as a useful tool and references for UBC decision makers and planners to inform management plan on the pathway of building a green, well-planned community.

本研究创新性地将3D游戏引擎Minetest应用于不列颠哥伦比亚大学（University of British Columbia，简称UBC）校园冠层覆盖变化的可视化研究，以应对城市扩张对城市绿地造成的严峻挑战。本研究对比并可视化了UBC校园在2D传统环境与3D游戏引擎环境中的冠层高度变化，揭示了两种环境下观测到的冠层覆盖变化空间格局具有一致性。研究结果表明，相较于传统地图，3D环境能够从多维度解析冠层覆盖变化，为决策者提供更直观清晰的认知，且可打造沉浸式、交互式的场景体验。本研究观测到冠层覆盖发生显著变化，整体总覆盖率下降25%；其中韦斯布鲁克社区因城市快速开发，在过去5年间冠层覆盖损失最为严重。本研究的成果不仅限于从3D体素游戏视角呈现地理地图与属性信息，反而可作为实用工具与参考依据，助力UBC的决策者与规划者制定管理方案，为打造绿色、规划合理的社区提供决策支撑。