Castro Marim on the table

At first glance, it looks like a square measuring 2x2.65 metres. It is in fact a three dimensional map of the borough of Castro Marim – made to a scale of 1/ 10.000 metres – currently the largest map of its kind in Portugal. The effect is as if you were looking down over the whole borough.

The project was developed by Carlos Coucelo, a specialist in Geomatics (the science that studies the application of computing on geography), and it is in line with similar centres established in the north of the country. But what makes this centre different is the technology that has been used.

“Some time ago, I was asked to make a similar model for the Serra da Estrela – on which there were to be little lights installed, highlighting points of interest for visitors. But I came to the conclusion that it would be a shame to make holes in such an expensive model, so full of detail, simply to install electric wires”, Coucelo tells.

“So I decided to develop something more dynamic – something capable of doing more…” Trained as a mechanical engineer, Coucelo had the idea to install video projectors – which are easily available on the market – within a metallic structure over the maquette, so that they could project diverse geographic information in real time (points of interest, localities, roads and other aspects of the landscape).

It may sound simple – but the model in itself is extremely complex and had to be made in the United States by a specialised company called «Solid Terrain Modeling».

Initially, to reproduce the territory of Castro Marim exactly, Coucelo worked with information from the Portuguese army’s geographical institute (Instituto Geográfico do Exército - IGE). But due to some lack of detail on IGE’s part, he then combined data with that known as “digital model of the earth” – the latest form of geographical information, sold by «Intermap Technologies» from Denver, Colorado.

It’s intriguing to learn that a firm based in North America knows the Algarve in minute detail – but, in truth, Intermap sells data like this to government agencies throughout the world. It knows the landscapes of Europe in detail – through studies effected with high-precision lasers.

And the whole system is relatively easy to control on a laptop, with a touch-screen, Coucelo selects in real-time all the information that he wants to project onto the maquette.

A simple touch will instantly illuminate waterways, roads and paths, archeological sites or simply the various villages scattered throughout the borough.

It’s also possible to distinguish the different high points of the landscape (presented in different colours), and even see statistical information – like the areas of the borough where there is the greatest risk of fire. To give another example, Coucelo has projected onto the maquette all the areas that burnt during the great forest fires of 2004.

But, what’s a normal visit like? On admission (which is free), visitors receive a kind of radio with headphones so that they can follow the presentation of a film shown on four screens around them.

For the time being, the sessions are available in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. French will be next. For around 20 minutes the film shows sites and landscapes of the borough – the localisation of which can be seen in synchronised form on the maquette.

“The idea was to create a film that would show visitors and tourists what Castro Marim has to offer – and where. This way, we hope to invite visitors to go out into the town, take walks, go in the direction of the sea, towards the marshlands, to the saltpans – even into the villages, to have contact with local people”, Conceição Amaral, author of the Plano de Gestão e Valorização do Património de Castro Marim (Castro Marim heritage promotional plan), presented last June, told us. Put another way, it’s hoped that this new centre will bring an end to the isolation of elderly communities living in the Algarvian hillsides.

Castro Marim’s CIP was also designed for the region’s schools. Any teacher with general computing knowledge could easily give a class here. Maybe because of this, the local mayor José Estevens dedicated last Saturday’s opening to his first geography teacher, Pereira de Campos…

“This is also an important work tool,” he considered. “An instrument of territorial planning and ordinance. It has great potential and will help us maintain roads, paths and the state of the forests”.

As to the future, Estevens took advantage of the occasion to recall the go-ahead on the project that will eventually take mains water and a sewerage system to the most isolated villages in the municipality.

As to heritage, the mayor announced the purchase of “one of the most important industrial complexes of the last century. The tile, ceramic and lime ovens of António Lourenço Correia. We want to recuperate this heritage site and hold on to the knowledge of this former tradition. We are also hoping to restore some of the old houses in the historic centre, using these latter-day materials”.