3D GIS for planning electric power systems

The 3D GIS project is funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE and by the grid operators Swissgrid, BKW Energie AG, and Austrian Power Grid. It aims at developing a realistic grid planning approach that fosters transparency and saves time. The developed 3D DSS considers various factors concerning environment, urban planning, and technical feasibility to calculate the optimal corridor and its approximate costs. As the assessment of these factors may vary amongst different stakeholders, the 3D DSS uses Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) as a way to represent different opinions. MCDA is then combined with approaches from Geographic Information Science to solve this multi-criterial problem spatially. For this purpose, a user assesses the relevant factors on a web platform, which are then computed and visualized in 3D (see the Youtube clip below).

We tried to model the corridors as realistically as possible by investigating different study areas in Switzerland and Austria. Compared to similar approaches, we utilize a novel method to calculate a decision’s influence on the result. Furthermore, geospatial concepts were used to develop a realistic model that represents how worthy an area is of being protected. To date, we conducted two workshops and evaluated the results of three user studies to improve the 3D DSS. In the final project phase, scheduled for fall 2017, we will evaluate the effects of the different MCDA methods through a sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, a method will be developed to allow integration of LiDAR data into the 3D DSS in order to get a more realistic impression of the virtual reality.