{"id":11739,"date":"2019-08-28T12:35:20","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T16:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/?page_id=11739"},"modified":"2023-08-13T19:21:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-13T23:21:40","slug":"models-through-tangible-interaction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/research\/models-through-tangible-interaction\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Models through Tangible Interaction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
\"exploring<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Signature Tool, for All<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Developed at the Center for Geospatial Analytics by members of the GeoForAll<\/a> Lab, Tangible Landscape<\/a> is an open source interface for 3D sketching powered by GRASS GIS, and one of our signature technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The system couples a physical model of a landscape with a digital model of the same landscape in a geographic information system through a continuous cycle of 3D scanning, geospatial computation and projection in near real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this innovative technology, almost anyone can intuitively interact with processes such as water flow, erosion, solar radiation, flooding, fire spread, disease spread and urban growth to experimentally test interventions. Users can examine viewsheds, design trails, sculpt landforms and more, even creating serious games for collaborative decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our researchers innovate new ways of interacting with Tangible Landscape, create new applications using the tool to aid decision-making and study how tangible user interfaces can support learning and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the interdisciplinary researchers advancing work at this frontier:<\/p>\n\n\n

Faculty at the Frontier<\/span>\n\t\t<\/use>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Focus Areas<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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Intuitive Modeling<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

No coding expertise is necessary for multiple users to drive our complex computer models. By directly interacting with a physical surface, they can use intuitive hand motions to make decisions and change model parameters.<\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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Human-Computer Interaction<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

Our developers constantly innovate ways to interact with tangible user interfaces, creating new means to input information with physical objects, steer models and visualize outputs in virtual reality. Their work is all open source.<\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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Learning and Cognition<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

We study how tangible user interfaces can support teaching geospatial concepts, lower students’ cognitive load when learning new tasks and facilitate information-sharing within groups facing a common objective.<\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Build your own Tangible Landscape<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We strive to build an open science community who share research findings and techniques. Learn from our experts<\/a> how to build and deploy your own open source Tangible Landscape, and start exploring the possibilities of tangible modeling yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n

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TANgible interaction news<\/h2>\n More<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n June 23, 2025<\/span>\n <\/p>\n \n

Center Ph.D. Students Engage Global Audience with GRASS GIS and Tangible Landscape Workshop<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

Ph.D. students Pratikshya Regmi and Caitlin Haedrich recently led a hands-on training at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS).<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n

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\n November 11, 2024<\/span>\n <\/p>\n \n

Tackling Agricultural Runoff with Tangible Landscape<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. student Caitlin Haedrich recently shared a prototype platform for exploring agricultural runoff mitigation strategies with government officials in Sampson County, NC.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n

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\n June 03, 2021<\/span>\n <\/p>\n \n

Researchers Design Simulation Tool to Predict Disease, Pest Spread<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

A team led by Research Scholar Chris Jones developed a computer simulation tool called PoPS to predict pest and disease attacks on crops or forests, and to test when and where to apply pesticides or other management strategies to contain them.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n

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\n October 29, 2019<\/span>\n <\/p>\n \n

First Official Stable Version of Tangible Landscape Software Released<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

Developers at the Center for Geospatial Analytics have announced the first stable release of Tangible Landscape, the center\u2019s signature open source system for hands-on geospatial modeling: Tangible Landscape 1.0.0.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n

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\n May 20, 2019<\/span>\n <\/p>\n \n

Can a Hands-on Model Help Forest Stakeholders Fight Tree Disease?<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

Participants don’t need coding or software expertise to use Tangible Landscape, a 3D model that allows them to try out different approaches for stopping sudden oak death, which has killed millions of trees.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n

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\n July 17, 2018<\/span>\n <\/p>\n \n

Second Edition of Tangible Modeling Book Released<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

Newly released this summer, the second edition of Tangible Modeling with Open Source GIS provides new tools for running powerful geospatial simulations with physical models and 3-D imagery.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Signature Tool, for All Developed at the Center for Geospatial Analytics by members of the GeoForAll Lab, Tangible Landscape is an open source interface for 3D sketching powered by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":11632,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"pageIntro\":\"We create hands-on tangible user interfaces that allow people with all ranges of expertise to control complex geospatial models with their hands and collaboratively explore scenarios of intervention. Our open source tools, such as Tangible Landscape, inspire spatial thinking and new ways of learning.\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-11739","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11739"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19927,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11739\/revisions\/19927"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}