Google's Advanced Technology And Projects (ATAP) group has released information about the new Project Tango—a mobile device that tracks 3D motion, using the data to map user environments.
“Most mobile devices today assume that the physical world ends at the boundaries of the screen,” says Johhny Lee, project lead at ATAP, in a YouTube video introducing Project Tango.
The goal of the Project Tango device, however, “is to give mobile devices a human scale understanding of space and motion,” says Lee.
Rodrigo Caula describes the technology in a designboom article, providing ample evidence of why this technology might be so important to planners and designers of the built environment: “the built-in sensors allow the phone to make over a quarter million three-dimensional measurements every second, updating its position and orientation in real-time, combining that data into a single 3D map of the space around you.”
FULL STORY: google introduces project tango, a smartphone that creates 3D environments

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

Local Governments Sue HUD Over Funding Cuts
A new lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration’s revised guidelines for housing and homelessness assistance funds will decimate key programs.

California Is Retooling its AV Guidelines
The California DMV is proposing a new framework for light- and heavy-duty self-driving trucks that would enhance reporting requirements and pave the way for autonomous commercial fleets.

Proposed Boulder Ballot Measures Call for Impact Fees, Affordable Duplexes
Boulder residents are working to put two housing-related proposals on the November ballot.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions