Visualization of Landscape Changes in a 3D Environment Using the Storytelling Approach—The Example of the City of Pristina

Abstract

This study proposes a detailed concept of how landscape changes can be transferred and communicated in a 3D environment using the storytelling approach. In 2018, Mocnik and Fairbairn argued that maps are good for representing a geographic space but texts have a better benefit than maps for telling a story [1]. A framework is presented on how a landscape change can be retrieved out of textual descriptions. A prototype of a 3D model with a projection on top of it was developed. The case study tells the story of the landscape change in the city of Pristina. The key element of the visualization is a timeline. Several media like cadastral maps, orthophotos, texts, graphics, and background sound are used and combined in an animated light show and the visualization was evaluated within a user study.