More Neptune Tower and Staten Island Ferris Wheel Maps

In this GRASS 6.4.1 map dealing with visibility functions based on raster height files, the lighter blue circle on the left, which shows the visibility from the top of the proposed Ferris Wheel, touches the darker blue visibility path from the 470' proposed tower on Neptune Avenue Brooklyn.  As I was constructing these maps, I discovered that the range in meters effects the size of the circles, so the results may not be accurate. The ranges here are either the default 10,000 meters or 20, 2000 meters.

  In this map, I brought in the surface elevation in 3-D.  I also increased the range of the Neptune visibility to 50 to 60,000 meters.  Notice that the right circle appears to be bigger. It appears that on the surface, if no other buildings existed, the western shore of Brooklyn near the Narrows Bridge will have both the Ferris Wheel and the new tower visible. Notice how the elevation in northern Staten Island effects the visibility of the Ferris Wheel.

Will You Be Able to See the Staten Island Ferris Wheel from the Top of the 470' Neptune Tower?

In this GRASS 6.4.1. Map, I recalled the the visibility plane produced several years ago with the proposed Staten Island Ferris Wheel.  That is the large blue circle like figure on the left.  Yesterday, I produced a similar visibility file based on the New York City Elevations (raster) and the approximate coordinates of the proposed tower at Neptune Avenue and Shell Road Brooklyn (right next to the Culver Line. (On the left)  I find GRASS 6.4.1 very difficult to work with, especially bringing in shape files from ARCGIS.  The problem with GRASS is that it does not allow you to open any directory that you wish.  The Neptune Circle may be smaller because I may have set up a lower range.  Notice that the Staten Island Ferris Wheel would not be visible from interior Staten Island.  Perhaps the high hills on the east side of Staten Island will block the view of viewers from western Brooklyn.  This is just an experiment and I will try again.  It was difficult to change the characteristics of the circle in order to allow the underlying open rapid transit lines to show through.  The circles look lie vortexes because the image was produced in 3-D and is viewed from a very high height.

Proposed Staten Island Ferris Wheel and Visibility Experiment

  In the above map, I used GRASS 6.4.1  Terrain Analysis feature it see what the visibility would be from the highest point on the proposed ferris wheel (625 Feet, 190.625 Meters) to the street surface.  I brought in our New York City Elevaton file (legend to the left) and a subway stop and line vector file.  The proposed location of the Ferris Wheel is near the St. George Terminal of the Staten Island Railroad.  I do not have an exact location and my program will allow me only to make a projection of 200,000 meters.  The result is the bluish circle near the tip of Staten Island.  A passenger in a cab at the highest position (625 Feet) would be able to see the street surface in Bay Ridge Brooklyn up to 4th Avenue.  In Staten Island, the passenger could not see much of the street surface south of the wheel because the elevation south of the proposed ferris wheel is quite high.  For the ferris wheel, I used coordinates x= 961859.25, y=175189.3 which is using the same projection as the elevation file.  This is only an experiment.

In the above map, the range was increased to 200,000 meters.  The blue area are those areas where the street surface is visible from the top of the proposed ferris wheel which will be located in the St. George Section of Staten Island (at the center of the circle).  Notice that big sections of Bay Ridge and Sunset Park in Brooklyn will have their surface areas visible including lower Manhattan and even parts of Boro Park near the Washington Cemetary.  The area south of the ferris wheel will not be visible but areas to the west will be visible because of lower elevations near the north shore of the island.  Perhaps in the future, a passenger on the elevated "F" train (culver line) will catch a glipse of the wheel when the train approaches the Bay Parkway station.