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An interoperable web-based application for 3d city modelling and analysis

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Abstract

This study presents a web-based application developed for the efficient management of large 3D city models (3DCMs) which are challenging in terms of browsers’ memory limits and network traffic management. The application offers functionalities such as 3D tiling, web-based visualization, 3DCM generation from 2D data, and 3D spatial analysis. It complies with international standards and utilizes open-source software components. The application includes a 3D tiling tool that implements the OGC 3D Tiles Standard, allowing users to partition their 3DCMs into optimized tiles for storage, transmission, and rendering. A web-based procedural modeling tool enables users to generate 3DCMs from 2D building footprint data without the need for complex modeling languages. A 3D spatial analysis component empowers users to perform comprehensive spatial analyses within the web-based environment. Leveraging modern web technologies facilitates precise and efficient spatial computations. To provide standardized visualization, the application features a viewer and client application built using HTML5 and WebGL technologies. This viewer adheres closely to the 3D Tiles Standard, enabling immersive navigation and interaction with 3DCMs. By combining these components, this web-based application handles the management of large 3DCMs, offering enhanced visualization, analysis, and model generation capabilities. It represents a milestone in web-based 3D city model management, prioritizing international standards and open-source principles.

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Data Availibility Statement

The test data which is used in the 3DSA component for runtime observation is shared at https://mega.nz/folder/Xx9nBZQC#rZxk4ZWrU_VQTNmAXLvN-w

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK) for their support, their assistance has been instrumental in ena-bling the successful completion of this study.

Funding

This work was supported by The Scientific And Technological Research Council Of Türkiye (TUBITAK) with the grant ID of 118Y452.

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Author notes

  1. Çetin Cömert and Alper Tunga Akın contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geomatics Engineering, Artvin Çoruh University, Faculty of Engineering, Artvin, 08100, Türkiye

    Ziya Usta

  2. Department of Geomatics Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Engineering, Trabzon, 61080, Türkiye

    Çetin Cömert & Alper Tunga Akın

Authors
  1. Ziya Usta
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  2. Çetin Cömert
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  3. Alper Tunga Akın
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Contributions

Ziya Usta and Alper Tunga Akın performed algorithmic development stages and prepared figures. Ziya Usta, Çetin Cömert and Alper Tunga Akın wrote the main article text.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ziya Usta.

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The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

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If the article is accepted by the Editor-in-chief after the review process, all authors consent to the manuscript being published in Earth Science Informatics. The work did not include human participants in order to obtain their consent.

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Communicated by: H. Babaie

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Usta, Z., Cömert, Ç. & Akın, A.T. An interoperable web-based application for 3d city modelling and analysis. Earth Sci Inform 17, 163–179 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-023-01167-5

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