4D Digital Map of Manhattan

It's an understatement to say that Manhattan looks nothing like the quaint little island it was when the first Dutch settlers arrived. Not only has most of Manhattan been covered in concrete, but the near-surface geology has been altered over the past 370 years with a maze of tunnels. To map these changes over time, architect Brian McGrath and designer Mark Watkins have created Manhattan Transformations, an interactive time-lapse three-dimensional computer model of man-made changes to the landscape of lower Manhattan. The multimedia exhibit is hosted by the Skyscraper Museum in Manhattan's Battery Park and can be viewed online. The model presents not only the architectural development of the city, but also a cartographic history of the underground infrastructure that delivers water, electricity, gas, telecommunications, and subway trains to lower Manhattan. As you click through the online exhibit, you can selectively display specific information such as office buildings built between 1917-1940, the location of the Dutch settlements, topography contours, and riverbank areas underlain by landfill. It's like looking at a CAT scan of the city.