Rijkswaterstaat's InnovA58 project centres on virtualising innovations at the service area alongside the A58. Student Levon visited the area between Oïrschot and Best on 18 March, continuing his work on its virtual representation.
Several students have worked on the InnovA58 viewer over the past 2 years. Each has made it a little more extensive and improved it further. We are almost there. Levon will put the finishing touches to the project so that it can run in the pavilion being built beside the A58.
To understand a location properly, it is important to visit it. Levon therefore toured the area and learned about the innovations being tested there. These aim to improve the area's water management so that changes caused by the climate can be accommodated now and in the future. A group of Fontys University of Applied Sciences students also joined the visit; they are working on a data visualisation project for the innovations.
The viewer will make a useful contribution to Rijkswaterstaat's efforts to raise awareness of these innovations among the public and policymakers. This has already happened, for example, in Brussels, when GameLab and its students demonstrated the viewer at the Rural Roadwater Rescue symposium.
The 3D representation and intuitive controls allow people to explore and better understand the innovations. It is now even possible to view innovations underground.
"It was very interesting to see it in real life and learn about innovations tested on the site in the past and today," said Levon. "I gained a better understanding of the area and why Rijkswaterstaat needs these innovations."
At GameLab, with technical guidance from Game Tailors, Levon will continue developing the viewer's gamification aspects and making it suitable for running in a web browser. This will make it possible to explore the area virtually from outside the pavilion too.
