How important are graphics to infrastructure processes?

Graphics for infrastructure represent objects in the real world. This distinction is an important one as we begin to explore graphics for infrastructure processes. Graphics that represent reality are often, out of necessity, abstracted reality, but are only effective if they communicate the important features of reality to the user.

When building anything tangible, there’s a need to put information down in a visual form. The pre-planning and pre-drawing of our infrastructure allows for in-depth analysis and calculations on cost and materials. All infrastructure starts with a graphic, but the ability of the graphics to communicate are dependent upon the designer and the medium that they choose.

Often times graphics for infrastructure might be specialized drawings that only a trained craftsman or an engineer could fully interpret. Other times our graphics are simplified for the layman and are stripped of all the meaning that an advanced user needs. The fact that graphics for infrastructure represent physical objects in reality means that any manipulations of that reality needs to be well communicated to avoid mistakes in the construction process.

Graphics are integral to infrastructure process, but the delivery mechanism, the level of detail, the level of abstraction, and the representation medium are all in flux.

Graphic Representation

Researchers who study the way that humans learn and interact have long broken apart visual and verbal thinking. There are distinct differences between the two, and people can have a proclivity for either of these two learning approaches. Visual learners remember what they see, while verbal learners get more out of what’s written or spoken.

This difference isn’t critical to all communication with graphic representations of reality, but it does bring up the need of different realities for individuals. We need to address the way we perceive graphic communication, and must augment purely visual clues with structured representations that can be interpreted by the slower visual thinker. Such visual clues in a map are a North arrow, a scale and an index. These things contribute to greater understanding, and allow for closer scrutiny to dig into deeper meanings beyond just the picture.

After centuries of 2D flat graphic representation of 3D reality, we’ve gotten good at representing our world and our objects in simplified form. Sometimes a simple 2D drawing fits the purpose, but increasingly our ability to provide a richer and more realistic experience creates a quicker understanding and a more efficient means of communication.

Adding Interactivity and Dimension

In the infrastructure world there’s the matter of scale that requires the layering of realities (from precise to global). Issues of scale are the greatest limitation of paper representation, and limitless scale is the greatest benefit of digital design data.

The days of needing to reference another sheet or view in order to better understand an issue in a graphic are fast nearing their end. Instead, the limits of paper copies are yielding to an environment where you can pan and zoom and pull apart the represented reality in order to get to the root of the problem.

Instead of a flat modeled world with a fixed scale, we’re moving into a three and four-dimensional modeled world that more closely represents reality. In this new era, the graphic becomes dynamic, with greater input from multiple perspectives. The model can be shared and passed around for feedback and input, making the model a collaborative communication device.

The means to communicate with models is just another evolution of the graphic. Simple and mainstream tools such as the Adobe Acrobat viewer’s ability to manipulate and view 3D PDFs, show the promise of this new communication mode. The inclusion of 3D data handling capabilities in large commercial databases provides a needed advancement for greater use of models. There’s a model-based future ahead that has wide implications for the meaning of graphics for infrastructure.

Now Intelligent Models

We’re now reaching the stage where we can add intelligence to our models throughout their lifecycle. This breathes a newfound life into the graphic medium, allowing for a continuously-updated model that closely mirrors reality. Instead of fading and brittled drawings in a drawer, we have a model that becomes integral to the maintenance of the physical structure.

Intelligence within the model also means a much smoother and more efficient building process. Instead of graphics that cement a specific view and expertise, such as plumping or HVAC, we have a model that relates the areas of domain interest within the larger whole. This dynamic view means that there are more collaborative exchanges between disciplines, and the model ensures well-reasoned and efficient assembly of infrastructure parts.

A graphic alone does not lend itself to supporting processes. When a graphic evolves to a model, then the necessary ability to manipulate and transform the model to meet various purposes means that processes are supported. With processes supported, the model becomes a repository for information that doesn’t diverge far from reality. Less abstraction and more modeling will lead to a more efficient and cost-effective means to build and maintain infrastructure.

Read what Jeff Thurston has to say on this subject here.

References

Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin (details on what it means to think visually)

Evolution of Graphics and Visualization Technologies (1965-2000), U.S. Army Research Laboratory