Developing a GIS-Based Visual-Acoustic 3D Simulation for Wind Farm Assessment

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information

Madeleine Manyoky²  Ulrike Wissen Hayek²  Kurt Heutschi¹  Reto Pieren¹ 

[1] Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Duebendorf CH-8600, Switzerland; E-Mails:;Planning of Landscape and Urban Systems, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich CH-8093, Switzerland; E-Mails:

关键词: wind farm planning;    wind turbine noise;    landscape impact assessment;    GIS-based 3D visualization;    game engine;    auralization;    visual-acoustic simulation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijgi3010029

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Public landscape impact assessment of renewable energy installations is crucial for their acceptance. Thus, a sound assessment basis is crucial in the implementation process. For valuing landscape perception, the visual sense is the dominant human sensory component. However, the visual sense provides only partial information about our environment. Especially when it comes to wind farm assessments, noise produced by the rotating turbine blades is another major impact factor. Therefore, an integrated visual and acoustic assessment of wind farm projects is needed to allow lay people to perceive their impact adequately. This paper presents an approach of linking spatially referenced auralizations to a GIS-based virtual 3D landscape model. We demonstrate how to utilize a game engine for 3D visualization of wind parks, using geodata as a modeling basis. In particular, the controlling and recording of specific parameters in the game engine is shown in order to establish a link to the acoustical model. The resulting prototype has high potential to complement conventional tools for an improved public impact assessment of wind farms.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.