Cross Platform, Digital, GIality, Planning, Uncategorized, VentusAR

Minecraft Makes Wind Farm Development Projects Accessible


Press Release

Valid 00:01 April 1 2015 to 11:59am April 1 2015

New guidance for the visualisation of wind farms development understands that “stakeholder engagement is extremely important” and recognises that new developments have “considerable scope” for use as techniques are developed and presented.

In support of this guidance, Linknode today announced that development of a Minecraft version of its interactive visualisation and communication tools for wind farm development has reached preview stage.

MC - Ben Nevis
Minecraft Visualisation over Fort William to Ben Nevis (using Ordnance Survey Open Data – OS Terrain 50)

Minecraft is the most popular 3D world creation and exploration tool. Its use, up to now, has been primarily for gaming. However, its capabilities for planning assessment and visual impact assessment can now be readily exploited.

Crispin Hoult, CEO of Linknode explained: “This new development enables the visual impact of a project accessible on a PC, mobile phone or even a games console in the living room”. Hoult added, “with familiar devices and controls we can communicate information better and to a wide audience of interested stakeholders”.

MC - Sunrise over Ben Nevis
Minecraft Visualisation of a Sunrise Over Ben Nevis (using Ordnance Survey Open Data – OS Terrain 50)

Linknode’s business is the integration of real-world data for visualisation – typically in tablets for live photomontage visualisation with the flagship VentusAR software. The company realised that the underlying data and services can make the data available to a far wider audience, otherwise less engaged with the planning and development process.

In the future, SNH guidance for visualisation plans to embrace and incorporate all types of digital media, including real-time visuals and personalised access to data (after suitable testing and scrutiny).

The commercialisation and integrated product development is scheduled to take place over the next year to be released with a version of VentusAR on 1 April 2016.

Notes to Editors

Linknode is the creator of VentusAR – the tablet-based software that uses augmented reality to allow developers, planners and communities to see, in real-time, what a planned wind farm will look like in the landscape, from any location.

Minecraft: Available across multiple platforms, “Minecraft” is one of the most popular video games in history, with more than 100 million downloads, on PC alone, by players since its launch in 2009. “Minecraft” is one of the top PC games of all time, the most popular online game on Xbox, and the top paid app for iOS and Android in the US.

In September 2014 Microsoft Corp. announced it had reached an agreement to acquire Mojang, the celebrated Stockholm-based game developer, and the company’s iconic “Minecraft” franchise.