This project addresses one of the major goals of the Bay Gateways Network to support education and public awareness about Bay resources and the promotion of wise stewardship. The environment and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay have changed extensively since the voyages of John Smith in 1608 - 1609. Land use change, ecosystem composition changes and even shoreline variations have all contributed to making the Bay a very different place. Finding the best way to help visitors understand and appreciate the extent of the changes to the Bay will be a critical element in the interpretation of the voyages of John Smith. Comparison of historic and existing landscapes through images will significantly enhance the public's perception of ecosystem and landscape change.

While the nature of the historic Bay can be presented with maps and text, it will be photorealistic visualizations that will be most effective in presenting this information to visitors. It is very difficult for visitors to appreciate the extent and nature of these changes since they are only able to experience the Bay of today. 3D visualization technology will allow visitors to actually see the Bay as John Smith saw it. The public tends to have limited experience with maps and will process information from a photorealistic visualization in a very easy and natural way.

Several GIS, landscape visualization and 3d modeling software packages and technologies were employed to create the 3D scenes. The most valuable resource, however, was the extensive input provided by the project partners. Their knowledge of Chesapeake history made the scenes possible.