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SmartPlaces Strategic Decision Support Software |
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Paul Radcliffe
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EPRI SmartPlaces supports efficient creation, modification, and comparison of alternate land use plans. SmartPlaces assists communities in assessing candidate sites for redevelopment and the implications of alternate land use plans. Smart Places is a decision support model based on ESRI ArcView geographical information systems. The system can assist both planning and management of energy, communications, transportation, water, wastewater, and solid waste based on land use scenarios.
In 1994, EPRI provided tailored collaborative funding in cooperation with public and private, federal, state and local agencies for the SmartPlaces project. The project began with the purpose of providing an innovative geographical information system (GIS) based tool to assist the redevelopment of a brownfield in Denver: the vacated Stapleton airport. The project, which followed the PLACE3S methodology developed by the Oregon, Washington and California state energy offices, was completed in 1996. Since then, SmartPlaces has been enhanced to include a wide range of environmental and resource applications including rural and urban planning, land use evaluation and environmental assessment.
SmartPlaces is a resource modeling system which allows both novice and advanced users to design and evaluate land use alternatives. Land use scenarios are produced via interactive design and evaluation against user set criteria, features and limits. Several scenarios can be stored and later retrieved during the planning process, facilitating comparison among multiple land use options with respect to perspectives and time histories. Scenario evaluation is conducted using empirical models which are linked to the geographic database. Evaluation results are generated in graphic and text file format and may be included in reports or other output format selected by the user. SmartPlaces has been successfully applied in projects involving community zoning, resource management, and sustainable development.
SmartPlaces is an ArcView extension focusing on decision support. The system provides data structures, user interface components, and output mechanisms which effectively connect empirical analysis models to standard GIS data layers. This connection allows planners to immediately analyze suggested changes in a land use plan and to produce text reports and graphics which summarize the impacts of such changes. The SmartPlaces extension involves two primary functions: (1) land use scenario design, and (2) land use scenario evaluation. Both functions are available through a single interface, allowing the user to interactively create or alter a land use design and then immediately evaluate the effects of the modifications.
SmartPlaces uses a stereo analytic interface. The left window (Scenario Builder) provides land use design, while the right window (Radix ) provides access to an array of evaluation models. Both components provide maximum flexibility in the design and evaluation process. The Scenario Builder enhances native ArcView functionality and allows users to build land use scenarios using existing GIS data and interactive digitizing. The Radix Evaluation Selection view allows users to add and remove features from the model selection interface, or "RADIX". This "split screen" interface promotes efficient iteration between scenario design and evaluation, helping the user produce a set of land use alternatives for review and comparison.
SmartPlaces is an open framework that accepts different geographic data and analysis models. It is therefore adaptable to other locations with unique management concerns.
SmartPlaces allows application-oriented relationships between land use, transportation, energy, communications, water, and other services, economics, environmental assessment and demographics. The modular construction of the radix permits the system to determine the relationships between elements of one issue or impacts between several components of different issues. For example, using the radix, it is possible to evaluate environmental concerns relating to water, land, and air issues while evaluating impacts associated with land use, energy, and solid waste.
SmartPlaces includes seven (7) application-specific capabilities, with standard features used in development site analysis. It can:
SmartPlaces looks at input to output relationships in "feature casts" each related to one or more issues of interest. There are no bounds on either the feature or it's related linked indicator definitions.
An example feature cast for solid waste is given below. Each feature like solid waste is described by one or more indicators. Each indicator may be evaluated using one or more measures. Each measure results in one or more linked indicators. Thus, the definition of each set of feature relationships is given by it's feature cast.
SmartPlaces Example Solid Waste Feature Cast
Solid Waste Indicators :
Solid Waste Measures:
Solid Waste Information Stock :
Solid Waste Link Indicators:
SmartPlaces supports five distinct user levels ranging from the complete novice to the software development expert. The system is approachable and useful to new users, while still providing access to the full range of ArcView's geo-processing and data-processing routines. For example, the 'New User' interface for the design window or "Scenario Builder" consists of only four customized menus and contains no standard ArcView menus, buttons, or tools. The 'New User' interface does allow exploration and even alteration of data in the Scenario Builder. However, only those data layers designated as "editable" by a SmartPlaces developer can be modified.
By contrast, the 'Developer' interface incorporates all ArcView and SmartPlaces functionality and can be password protected. This multiple user-level design allows new users to design and test alternative land use scenarios, while affording protection to key components of the GIS database.
Interchangeable and customizable formulae are used to automatically calculate attribute values for newly added or edited features. This allows the planner to concentrate on the spatial layout of the land use design, while insuring that the appropriate tabular data are calculated and stored. A current and accurate database must be maintained to support the efficient iteration between scenario design and evaluation. An up-to-date database will insure that results produced by analysis models are correct.
For example, a designer might add a new residential area to the current land use plan and specify its intended population density. Using the population estimate in conjunction with conversion factors provided by experts, estimates of water and energy consumption are automatically calculated and placed in the GIS database. These new data are immediately accessible by SmartPlaces resource analysis models. In this way, the user can immediately see the ramifications of alterations in the community design.
The formulae used to calculate attributes can include simple conversion factors or complex modeling algorithms. The SmartPlaces open architecture allows users to review and change formulae definitions at any time. Thus the architecture is adaptable to different study areas. For example, water use per capita may vary widely depending on geographic location or seasonal variation. To accurately reflect these differences a new conversion factor (gallons/person/day) can be installed, yielding more accurate estimates of water use.
Because formulae substitutions can result in different evaluation results for the same
land use plan, these changes should be well documented. SmartPlaces automatically records all conversion formulae changes in an easily accessible text file. It is important that a planner have both the evaluation results and the assumptions upon which results are based in order to make informed decisions regarding the land use design.
Planners often must consider development ordinances such as zoning, limits on dwelling unit density, and construction codes. Often, several regulations need to be considered simultaneously. SmartPlaces can assist the planner by issuing a warning whenever such constraints are breached.
The SmartPlaces framework can accommodate both numeric compliance checking
(e.g. exceeding specified population densities), or geographic compliance checking (e.g. placing commercial buildings containing hazardous materials within a known flood plain). This functionality can save valuable time by informing the planner of design inadequacies early in the planning process. As with other SmartPlaces functions, the compliance checking structure is open and editable. Numeric targets and spatial restrictions can be modified by the user to reflect changes in local planning regulations or to address restrictions at a different location.
SmartPlaces allows users to save and retrieve entire land use designs in unique object sets. This functionality is important for three reasons: (1) multiple users can work on unique land use scenarios for the same geographic area without affecting the designs of others; (2) a single user can create several alternative scenarios; (3) several scenarios can be retrieved for simultaneous evaluation and comparison, helping planners make informed decisions regarding which scenario best fits site requirements.
SmartPlaces handles all file management and stores all data necessary to recreate an exact replica of the saved scenario. It is important to note that design edits affect only the "working" scenario and that saved scenarios are protected from potential mishaps during the design process.
Scenario assessment is performed by launching analysis models using the RADIX selection tool . The center circle represents the land use design itself. Analyses are grouped into categories, represented by circles in the inner ring. Each circle in the outer ring is connected to an analysis model for use in scenario evaluation.
SmartPlaces can link to models written in Avenue (ArcView's native development language) or other programming languages such as C++ and Visual Basic. Analysis models typically perform one or more of these primary actions: (1) process spatial and tabular data associated with themes in the Scenario Builder; (2) process external databases and perform lookup operations on external tables; (3) link to autonomous external models. In the Denver (Stapleton) SmartPlaces project, links were established with an emissions prediction model called PROFORMA (EPRI, Palo Alto, CA). This connection allowed immediate evaluation of land use scenarios in terms of air emissions, solid waste/ liquid waste, water use, energy, and life cycle costs.
Evaluation models are selected by clicking on the associated RADIX circle. After selecting one or more models, the user clicks on the "EVALUATE" button. The system's internal architecture then handles launching of selected models, error status checking, and results compilation. Results are produced in both text and graphic format.
The RADIX structure conforms to the SmartPlaces open architecture and is completely customizable. Additional analysis models can be connected and are immediately accessible through a new circle in the RADIX outer ring. In addition, RADIX has its own information management structure allowing efficient entry and retrieval of documentation pertaining to analysis models.
Key components of the system include:
Evaluation results are automatically presented in text file format once model execution is complete. The text file contains both a summary table and a "details" section where results, user defined target values, and the model name are listed.
SmartPlaces is equipped with a results visualization architecture which allows users to easily display evaluation results in graphic format, including charts, graphs, and 3-dimensional plots . Visualization modules are interchangeable so that results can be viewed in alternative formats. SmartPlaces supports several interchangeable options for displaying evaluation results
Finally, SmartPlaces provides automatic scenario report generation and printing. A scenario report may contain evaluation results (text and graphic format), attribute calculation formulae, narrative notes about the scenario, and a map of the scenario itself. These reports are pre-formatted for rapid assimilation and can be printed at any time.
SmartPlaces applications are diverse and include strategic marketing, corporate logistics, economic development, facilities management, transportation strategies, environmental remediation, energy management, natural resource management, water system operations, land use planning, and disaster mitigation and recovery.
SmartPlaces is available from the EPRI. SmartPlaces is an extension of the geographical information system ArcView from Environmental Systems Research Institute.
Paul Radcliffe, Economic Development Manager
EPRI
Palo Alto, CA 94394-1395
Tel: 650-855-2720
Fax: 650-855-2002
Email: pradclif@epri.com
Information about SmartPlaces can be obtained from the SmartPlaces web site http://www.smartplaces.com.