There is a concept in computer graphics called Levels of Detail (LOD).
I'd like to borrow this concept to talk about zoning and UrbanForm.
The basic principle of LOD is that at different distances you need different levels of detail. Because computers are extremely precise, you can create a model of something with extremely minute levels of detail. For instance, if you wanted to represent a cat, you could model all of its whiskers, facial features, limbs, claws, and even fur.
But with enough distance, even something as complex as a cat will just resemble a blob. So to conserve compute power and increase speed, methods were developed that use different models of the same object for different distances.
For instance, if the cat is sufficiently far away, it can suitably be represented by a sphere. As you get closer, different models of that cat with increasing levels of detail can be swapped in, all the way up to the finest level of definition at the nearest distance needed.
Similarly, have you noticed how wonderfully easy and smooth it is to zoom in and out of Google Maps?
This is because digital mapping utilizes the Levels of Detail concept to create different images at different zoom levels, allowing you to quickly and smoothly see more and more info as you zoom in and out.
This is the same concept UrbanForm uses with zoning. Because the zoning code is often so big (for instance, in LA, over 13,000 pages), we built UrbanForm to quickly and progressively show more and more detail as needed.
Often times you just want to know the basics, quickly. For instance, dimensions, location, zone designation, allowable use classes, and any specific regulatory zones.
There is no faster way to do this than with UrbanForm and our interactive web maps. Many of our customers say this alone makes UrbanForm worth it.
At the next level of zoning detail, you might want to know height limits, the FAR, setbacks, coverage limits, or unit minimums/maximums.
At even further levels, UrbanForm provides info about bonuses, restrictions, modifications, and many of the nitty gritty complications that define modern planning and zoning.
UrbanForm doesn't communicate all of what's in the zoning code, because you may not need or want it a given time. Instead, we allow you to quickly and progressively dive deeper and deeper into the code.
At the most minute levels of detail, UrbanForm provides you with exact code references and clickable links so that you can verify and research further.
UrbanForm, with this concept of Levels of Detail, makes both the big picture zoning info as well as the finest level of detail available faster than any other way, progressively, and as needed.
Modern digital maps like Google Maps have the ability to provide more information faster, more easily, and more usefully than ever before.
The same thing that UrbanForm does with zoning 😃
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