Virtual DC: New Mapping Technology Shows DC in 3-D
By CHAD SHUSKEY
Washington, DC Economic Partnership
By now most people are familiar with MapQuest and Google Earth. However, as advanced as these Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are they still have several limitations, especially for those in the real estate business.
Imagine being able to drill down into any neighborhood or business opportunity in the city and not only see the site from directly overhead but at an angle as if you were a bird flying down the street, while at the same time displaying the property’s ownership information, rentable square feet, renderings, site plans, parcel size, zoning, incentives, etc.
The Washington, DC Economic Partnership partnered with the District’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to take this technology to the International Council of Shopping Center’s (ICSC) Spring Convention in Las Vegas this past May.
During the past two years, we have taken small steps toward incorporating new GIS presentations that help our efforts to market the District of Columbia. With the help of OCTO, we are now able to provide greater detail in terms of data and images, visibly demonstrating the economic potential of neighborhood sites and the entire city.
The opportunity to premier this innovate and leading edge technology in tandem with the presence of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Deputy Mayor Neil Albert and DC Councilmembers at ICSC was an opportunity to demonstrate the merits of this innovative way of looking at the economic potential of the District of Columbia.
The new mapping technology improves the efficiency of meetings, saves time and money and makes logical sense for developer and retailer prospects, who may not yet have visited the District of Columbia.
Now, the Economic Partnership is able to offer a virtual tour of the city that shows greater depth and detail than in past years and there are plans to take this information into the third dimension. OCTO has been facilitating the process of creating 3-D representations of existing buildings throughout the entire city and has several neighborhoods already completed and with the Economic Partnership’s assistance will soon be able to showcase future development as well.
The Washington, DC Economic Partnership strives to push the envelope, improving our data, materials and presentations every year. As we continue to incorporate information we receive from the real estate community we are able to tell a more compelling story of the current state and future of DC.
Andrew Davis contributed to this report.