SHARING LANDSCAPE INFORMATION THROUGH AN ONLINE GEOGRAPHICAL VISUALISATION PORTAL

The access to, and visualisation of, landscape information through online websites can effectively support natural resource management and decision making. Online repositories of information are a useful resource for community members and researchers to enhance their understanding of agricultural and natural landscapes past, present and future. In this paper we report on the development of an online geographical visualisation resource in Australia that provides access to scientific outputs created through a number of visualisation techniques. The Victorian Resources Online website (http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/vro) is a collection of more than 7,500 pages of natural resource information and maps. A Geographical Visualisation Portal resides within the site that includes: (i) links to contemporary media, (ii) access to technical reports and publications, (iii) video clips depicting visualisation techniques applied for understanding real and fictitious geographies, (iv) downloadable interactive content such as KMZ files, (v) a virtual soil profile used as an educational aid to increase understanding of the complex dimensions and properties of soils and (vi) a 3D object library comprising trees, shrubs, animals, built structures and rural features. The online visualisation portal provides an alternative metaphorical interface for users to access content to better understand Victorian landscapes.