URBANIT Urban Ontologies to Support Informed Urban Development and Planning

When dealing with complex and multi-faceted urban design challenges, the sheer weight of the information available can make discerning the 'bigger picture' challenging. It is the suggestion of this paper that there is a requirement for intelligent tools and mechanisms to assist in the capturing, comprehending and communication of solutions to such problems whilst keeping in mind the consensus of the aims and targets. To make knowledgeable decisions, there is a need to access the most relevant sources of information possible. Quality intelligence requires a quality foundation of data. This paper will outline some fundaments of how to best structure urban components and then examine how these can be applied to assist in improving design and planning of urban precincts. In conclusion, some next steps are proposed for the development of these tools and their application within an urban context.