Article

First Place 3D Map Esri Award - RES Amstel-Stad Geothermal Energy

3D spatial planning that anticipates the energy transition

Sustainable design of space above and below ground

Public space both above and below ground is becoming increasingly crowded. To maintain the quality of life in the city, now and in the future, the City of Amsterdam is developing an integral approach to optimizing the sustainable use of space above and below ground. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) is supporting this approach with a pilot project. Data from the Dutch Key Register of the Subsurface (Basisregistratie Ondergrond [BRO]) is made accessible in a 3D viewer in combination with other data sets that are relevant to the transformation of the Paasheuvelweg area in Amsterdam-Zuidoost.

This story map and accompanying ‘3D Scene Viewer’ have been constructed with the help of ArcGIS Online, which also provides the user manual. Both the story map and the Scene Viewer were commissioned in the spring of 2020 by the City of Amsterdam and the Programme for Key Register of the Subsurface. This programme is aimed at providing reliable information, accessible to everybody, about the Dutch soil and subsurface. The BRO supports, among others, the four main social assignments of today: the energy transition, the housing assignment, infrastructural projects and water protection.

The story map contains four tabs, each of which shows a number of subjects in the Scene Viewer. Each subject is shown with a ‘viewer image’. To enter the actual Scene Viewer, you have to click on the link ‘Verkennen in Scene Viewer (Explore in Scene Viewer)’ in the top-right corner. You can do this by moving the mouse to the top-right corner of the viewer frame, in the light-grey bar. The complete legend of all elements shown in the viewer images is available in the Scene Viewer.

You can move through the online visualization of underground space. Its performance depends on the browser you use, the speed of the internet connection and the number of data layers activated in a particular scene. If you work within a Citrix environment, you may receive the error message: ‘Probleem met het laden van de Scene Viewer? (Problem loading the Scene Viewer?)’ We advise you not to open the story map within the Citrix environment. These browsers support the 3D environments and story maps.

The ‘Regional Energy Strategy (RES) City of Amsterdam Amstel-Stad Geothermal Energy’ story map took first place in the 3D-Map category at the Esri User Conference Map Gallery 2020. Owing to the coronavirus, the 40th Esri User Conference (13-16 July, San Diego) took place as a virtual event. The online conference attracted more than 85,000 participants. 

This commission has been carried out in close cooperation between the City of Amsterdam and Geodan and Arcadis. Project management: Vivian van den Bosch (Arcadis), Annoesjka Nienhuis (City of Amsterdam), Lorenzo Turk and Jan Wiersma (Geodan). Text, format and picture editing: Ceciel Fruijtier (Geodan), in close cooperation with Marco Scheffers, Michael Afanasyev, Richard Ruijtenbeek and Annoesjka Nienhuis (City of Amsterdam). Data visualization: Tessa Neijmeijer, Jorn Habes and Brian de Vogel (Geodan) and Maarten Hogeweij (City of Amsterdam). With thanks to: Marleen Ford, Marina Vasarini Lopes, Joyce van den Berg, Frans de Heij, Lucia Kleinegris (City of Amsterdam), Janjaap Ruijssenaars and all participants in the Value Engineering sessions. 

Disclaimer: No rights may be derived from the data shown. The data collected and processed in this pilot project is one-off and not up to date. The models and data presented have been exclusively made for this Proof of Concept.

All rights reserved

Additional info

Image credits

Header image: Logo Integrale Ontwerpmethode-banner website ORP-01.jpg

Icon image: 3D_duurzame ondergrond_foto.png