DIFFERENT VIEW An example of what you’ll see when taking a virtual tour of Westport. Pics: Conor McKeown
Westport town goes ‘virtually’ global
Claire Egan
WESTPORT is set to add another string to its bow of impressive honours. The Tidy Town of the Year for 2006 has also become one of the first digitally mapped towns in the world.
The official launch of ‘3D Model Westport’ took place last Thursday afternoon at Westport Cineplex with representatives from Westport Town Council, Destination Westport and members of the wider business community in attendance.
Commissioned by Westport Town Council and designed by local company AMT3D, the project involved taking hi-tech laser photographs of Westport town and feeding the information into an advanced software programme. Each photograph was then mapped to its relevant location. Aesthetic features such as landscaping and colouring were also added, while other visuals of cars, street signs and litter bins were removed. The end result is an impressive on-line interactive model of Westport town allowing worldwide computer users to embark on a virtual tour of the urban centre.
Speaking at last week’s launch, Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, Cllr Tereasa McGuire, said that the new 3D model of Westport was a wonderful addition to the town.
“We are now to the forefront of technology and it is wonderful that we can combine the aesthetic and practical. This is a really big step forward for the town of Westport and it puts us on the map. It is vital that our town, as well as being recognised for its beauty and tourism appeal, is also recognised for its hi-tech attributes and this new venture shows that we are moving well ahead in the 21st century,” said Cllr McGuire.
The new 3D model also offers unlimited potential in terms of designing and creating future developments.
Those in attendance were treated to a virtual tour of the town, while examples of two new developments were shown – the combined retail and residential development at Bridge Street and also the refurbished model of Westport Town Hall. Viewers were also given an interactive interior tour of the new developments, courtesy of CAD technology software advances exclusive to AMT3D.
Westport Town Manager, Mr Peter Hynes was keen to stress the major benefits, including planning and design advances for Westport, that the 3D model presented.
“There is huge potential in terms of utilising this 3D model for future planning and design stages in the town of Westport, allowing architects and designers to envisage a new development within the existing framework. As well as that, this technology can also be adapted for use in an educational setting and can be used as a vital tool for environmental projects,” said Mr Hynes,
Mr Brendan Hafferty, CEO of AMT3D, told those in attendance that plans are in place to map Tubber Hill, The Fairgreen and The Quay and add to the virtual map of Westport. He highlighted the enormous marketing and tourism potential of the new venture.
“If an individual anywhere in the world types in Westport, Ireland into their Google search engine Westport town will come up allowing the individual to take a tour. Also, if businesses want to advertise their services and events, a hyper-link can be inserted into the website allowing the user to tour the business owner’s premises and see what is happening. The 3D model is a photo-realistic, spatially-accurate digital model and Westport is the first virtual town in the world,” concluded Mr Hafferty.
