The Connecticut DOT, for example, prepared videos to enhance public understanding of incident management on an interstate highway. Videos are used to introduce people to meetings and hearings. Set to replay endlessly, videos present the same message each time without variation. This may be extremely important when used with, say, a formal public hearing. The Virginia DOT, for example, used videotapes to introduce and describe an open house public hearing process.
Agencies use videos to document a planning process.
They can document proceedings of events in a public participation process. Viewers are thus exposed to a wide range of participants and their concerns. Focus group proceedings are frequently recorded on video for later replay and analysis. Videos illustrate different planning scenarios or project alternatives and help people visualize a situation before, during, and after construction. Many incorporate computer simulations, such as a ride on a transportation facility before it is built.