Procedural City is an interactive media installation which has incorporated the generative modeling features of CityEngine along with a biometric fingerprint scanner. It enables the user to create his/her own personal city according to their fingerprint.

To interact with this installation the user scans his fingertip and subsequently the data is imported into CityEngine for processing. The fingerprint is analyzed to the point where CityEngine can generate street networks according to the pattern of the strongest lines. Once the streets are generated the buildings are ready to be modeled and this happens right in front of the users eyes. Finally a simple touch interface with navigation controls (actually an iPod) allows the user to explore the personalized city from all angles and perspectives.

The installation has been developed by the Ars Electronica Futurelab in collaboration with Procedural Inc., and is part of the GeoCity exhibition at the Ars Electronica Center (AEC) in Linz, Austria.

For more information, please visit the following links:

• AEC Visitor Information
• GeoCity Exhibition
• Procedural City Installation | Hi-res Photo (800x800) 164 KB

The Ars Electronica Center is considered a prototype of the “museum of the future” for digital media and culture and new technologies. When it opened in 1996, the center was the first of its kind to house an immersive virtual reality room tailored to the public. When the City of Linz was declared “Cultural Capital of Europe 2009” major renovation work preceded the re-opening of the New Ars Electronica Center. Today, visitors can enjoy an even more exciting hands-on experience of immersion and interactivity.

The new 6,500-square-meter Ars Electronica Center stands on the banks of the Danube in Linz, Austria. A gateway between art and science, the center is a one-of-its kind facility that has brought state-of-the-art digital applications, new technology and media within the reach of the general public. The Ars Electronica Linz GmbH features the Center, a Futurelab, a Prix and the Ars Electronica Festival, the largest and longest-running festival for electronic art worldwide.

For more information about Ars Electronica, go to: www.aec.at