In 2003 Dr. Brad Stelfox and Matthew Carlson recognized the need for an educational tool to help Albertans understand the complexities of land use planning in Alberta. With limited resources and a booming economy and population, the need to create land-use plans that looked at the cumulative effects of our activities on the land and balanced our environmental and socio/economic needs led to the first free, online educational land-use simulator for Alberta.
Between 2011-2017 the simulator evolved. Over this time 4 new versions were developed to modernize the look and to increase functionality and gamification necessary to appeal to the ever-changing technological expectations of students. With an expanding list of teacher resources and collaborations with other groups, registered user numbers grew.
The most recent version 6.0 was unveiled in 2019, during the Pandemic. Being free and online, Alberta Tomorrow Foundation did not have to pivot its activities. The new version included a Climate Change Module and resulted in the 2019 Alberta Tomorrow Emerald Award Finalist recognition.