1994 Computerworld/Smithsonian Award Winner
William Jepson, Director
of Computing for the UCLA Department of Architecture,
recently won the top award in the education and academia category of the 1994
Computerworld Smithsonian Award Program. The award, which is presented annually,
recognizes information technology that best serves the needs of society.
The computer application, "Rebuild Los Angeles,"
was praised by the program for facilitating the city's rebuilding efforts and
enhancing communications among neighborhoods.
The "virtual reality"
application allows city planners to use technology adapted initially from military
flight simulation to recreate, on the computer, Los Angeles' urban environment.
It is being used to help neighborhoods envision redevelopment projects
in South Central Los Angeles, the Pico-Union district, Playa Del Rey and the
area surrounding the Vermont Avenue subway station.
"This system is unique in that it gives individuals the potential to
interact with each other in planning their own community," Jepson said. The
Urban Simulation team which created this system consisted of Jepson, Professor
Robin Liggett, graduate
students Terence Chang
and Scott Friedman and Unix
Systems Manager Don Leeper.
bill 12/8/94