Location based information to support understanding of landscape futures

We are entering a period of rapid change in such landscape shaping forces as climate, the demand for food and water, fire, the push toward renewable energy, and the transition to GM-based agriculture. As a result the landscape, which has traditionally been a point of stability for many people, is likely to change significantly. Can the technologies we have to hand, and their increasing ubiquity, assist people to better understand the forces leading to landscape change, comprehend the science of landscape, take a more informed view on proposals, and adapt to some inevitable outcomes? This paper considers the potential, in this context, of smartphones and other devices that are equipped with positioning and orientation devices, significant computational power and high-speed communications. We all travel through the landscape; sometimes we fly over. During these movements the possibility exists to entertain, and educate, people with information about the landscape through, or over, which they are traveling, to give them insights into the changes that have occurred historically and may occur in the future, the processes at work and the choices that exist. There are several ways to do this including audio commentary and augmented reality displays using the device camera coupled with visualized alternative conditions. A prototype iPhone, called 'What's Here?' that includes augmented audio and visual features for landscape interpretation is described, and is illustrated with data related to climate change, renewable energy infrastructure, land use change and sea level rise. Associated data, technology and user issues are discussed.