Many challenges face modern society including the need for better design and actions to deal with issues including higher density living and climate change. Options must be evaluated to assess their efficacy and benefit to the community.
City of Melbourne has identified a need to develop a 3D model of the city. Comprehensive user and business requirements have been gathered and a business case is being prepared. A small pilot project will be completed by the end of March 2009. It is envisaged that an accurate 3D model of the city will facilitate the simulation of proposals and the testing of future scenarios and assumptions thus enhancing the decision making function of the Council.
Our aim is to better model the real world and what it may become in the future. We can then support the objectives described in Council's Future Melbourne strategy which sets out a creative and sustainable vision for the city until 2020.
A primary objective of our business case is to assist and enable City of Melbourne senior management, branches and users to understand the potential applications, functionality, benefits and data maintenance responsibilities and cost of using 3D technology as part of their business and decision making processes.

Workshops have been conducted right across Council, with a diverse range of business units, to understand their requirements and to evaluate some of the factors listed below.

· Can 3D be used to improve our decision making and business outcomes?
· What gaps exist (eg data. processes, skills, technology / software)
· How do we plan for our future?
· How do we make it happen?
· How do we measure the success of our project?

Our business case analysis will provide CoM with a clear set of requirements to help us assess and determine whether any future solution will do what we want it to do.