Generation of VRML city models for focus based tour animations: integration, modeling and presentation of heterogeneous geo-data sources

ABSTRACT

In order to generate 3D worlds in an automated way it is important to solve the problem of integrating existing 2D and 3D data automatically. We explain some of the issues of this problem in this paper. We also introduce mechanisms for automated generation of integrated 3D geo-data sets, as well as a prototype that implements these. It is necessary to distinguish the different problems and methods for the generation of buildings and other man made structures on the one hand and digital elevation models and land use areas on the other.Using the integrated data and the developed algorithms we work on a strategy for the dynamic generation of 3D tour animations through a virtual city and landscape model that is optimized for a specific tour. We introduce components that allow the generation of a virtual 3D-tour through our demonstration region - the city of Heidelberg - by the automated integration of 2D and 3D data sources to a 3D model. The user is presented with an interactive animation of a 3D scene of a dynamically calculated tour through the hybrid 3D model of Heidelberg focusing on the area around the tour.

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INDEX TERMS

Keywords:
3D, focus based 3D generation, geo-data integration, geographical information systems, multi-resolution DEM, tourist domain