Introducing the First Tangible Landscape in Africa ¶

As part of Kartoza’s outreach programme, the geography department at St Johns College in Johannesburg set up a Tangible Landscape, recognized as the first in Africa and possibly the first in a secondary school environment.

The installation involved collaboration between the geography department (Samantha Jones, Bridget Fleming, Brandon Louw, and Keith Arlow) and other staff. Matt constructed the frame, while Peter Henning, the IT Manager, secured hardware including an older i5 PC with 4GB RAM running Ubuntu Linux, monitors, a projector, and a Microsoft Xbox Kinect. The software setup utilized open-source GRASS GIS and modules converting Kinect point clouds into raster digital elevation models.

The Tangible Landscape provides “a compelling augmented reality interface for interacting with a landscape and immediately visualising the results of computer interpretations and analyses projected right back onto the landscape.”

The system performs 3D sandbox scans every few seconds, converting them to DEMs rendered with color ramps and projected back onto sand. Python scripts enable additional GRASS processes including contour modeling, slope and aspect analysis, ponding simulation, and drainage network extraction.

After calibration aligning sensor fields with projected imagery, the system launched successfully before the school’s October 8 open day. The geography department has integrated it into daily lessons, with planned lesson write-ups on the SAGTA website.