Chattanooga 3D Mentioned on Chattanooga Stand

Putting Chattanooga on the Map—In 3-D
11.20.09
Ben Johnson
“I can guarantee that this will make all who participate in it no money…”

This is an unexpected project introduction at a business start-up event. But then again, the Chattanooga 3-D project is anything but expected. Intended as an event to incubate small business start-ups, 48Hour Launch was designed as a start-up resource for the entrepreneurial community. 89 people gathered over the weekend, the vast majority of whom worked on projects that they hoped would eventually turn into viable financial enterprises. Chattanooga 3-D on the other hand, started with the goal to “start something” cool that would benefit Chattanooga, even if it had no tangible economic impact for the participants.
The brain-child of Stephen Culp, Chattanooga 3-D was begun in response to Stand’s call for people to “start something.” Using a combination of Google Sketch-up and Google Earth, teams of volunteers have taken hundreds of pictures and are using them to make three-dimensional renderings of Downtown Chattanooga. During our 48-hour long event, over 20 people—by far the largest team at 48Hour Launch—built 3-D models of most of Main Street in Downtown Chattanooga. In the wake of the 48Hour Launch, the project is continuing full-throttle, as anyone with a good camera and a few hours to learn the program can contribute to the 3-D maps Chattanooga.

As we saw at 48Hour Launch, entrepreneurism and innovation is not only of great economic benefit, but is also a vital part of civic engagement. The ease with which people can join in this project allows for broad participation, and the potential applications are equally broad. Architecture, attractions, businesses, streets, greenways, parks, art…whatever you want to do with it can be done. The Chattanooga 3-D project is aptly described as “open-source,” the goal being to create this map, release it to the community—and see what happens. Embodying Stand’s goal of empowering individuals, they are providing a resource and leaving it up to the initiative and creativity of all of us to determine how we can best use this information. 

If you have a few hours to spare, and would like to contribute to this project, head over to their website at http://www.chattanooga3d.com/ for details on how to get involved.