Applications of 3D printing in physical geography education and urban visualization

Through decreasing hardware costs and novel areas of application,  three-dimensional (3D) printing has become exceedingly popular in recent  years. Starting with a project focused on public education about urban  hydrology, we explored the use of 3D-printed landscape models in a  number of regional applications. We also experimented with the use of  3D-printed city models to engage users through urban visualization. Our  goal was to examine the role of GIS in processing geospatial data for 3D  printing and to explore novel applications in physical and urban  geography education and outreach. Following a brief review of related  literature, this article outlines data sources for digital elevation  models, boundary datasets, and building footprints with height  information and the processes used to transform these into 3D-printable  data files. We then describe applications focused on urban watersheds  and landforms in the area of Toronto, Canada, and illustrate city models  for neighbourhoods of Toronto. We found that the 3D models were  favourably received by diverse types of users, from hydrology experts to  environmental studies students to the general public. The  overwhelmingly positive feedback generated by this project suggests that  3D-printed landscape and city models are a worthwhile strategy for  improving physical and urban geography education and outreach.