405
6
405
Up until the previous chapter, all topics in this book dealt with geospatial
technology in a two-dimensional format, whether as geospatial data, measurements, maps, or imagery. Chapter 13 began to go beyond two dimensions and
start on a third, presenting terrain in a perspective and pseudo-3D view. This
chapter looks entirely at presenting geospatial information in three dimensions, as well as designing and visualizing 3D data and concepts.
There’s no doubt that 3D visualization of data is impressive—as technology has improved and computers have become faster and more powerful, 3D
rendering has become more commonplace. Video games and simulators are
extremely impressive to watch, as are computer-animated movies. While geospatial technology hasn’t reached the level of the newest CGI film (yet), many
3D modeling and visualization techniques are available for creating perspective views, 3D maps, and realistic-looking 3D objects. For instance, Bing Maps
and Google Earth both support viewing and interacting with 3D geospatial
data. See Figure 14.1 on page 406 for an example of realistic-looking 3D geospatial visualization in Google Earth.
Before proceeding, keep in mind the discussion from Chapter 13 concerning 2.5-dimensional (2.5D) data versus 3-dimensional (3D) data. If only one
height value can be assigned to an x/y location, then the data is considered
2.5D, and if multiple z-values can be assigned to an x/y location, then the
data is fully 3D (3D data also has volume). For ease of reading and usage, this
chapter uses the term “3D” throughout to refer to all geospatial phenomena
that incorporate a third dimension into their design or visualization, although
technically, some examples will be 2.5D or pseudo-3D.
See the World in 3D
3D Geovisualization, 3D Modeling and Design, Prism Maps,
Google SketchUp, and Google Earth in 3D
14
6
405
Up until the previous chapter, all topics in this book dealt with geospatial
technology in a two-dimensional format, whether as geospatial data, measurements, maps, or imagery. Chapter 13 began to go beyond two dimensions and
start on a third, presenting terrain in a perspective and pseudo-3D view. This
chapter looks entirely at presenting geospatial information in three dimensions, as well as designing and visualizing 3D data and concepts.
There’s no doubt that 3D visualization of data is impressive—as technology has improved and computers have become faster and more powerful, 3D
rendering has become more commonplace. Video games and simulators are
extremely impressive to watch, as are computer-animated movies. While geospatial technology hasn’t reached the level of the newest CGI film (yet), many
3D modeling and visualization techniques are available for creating perspective views, 3D maps, and realistic-looking 3D objects. For instance, Bing Maps
and Google Earth both support viewing and interacting with 3D geospatial
data. See Figure 14.1 on page 406 for an example of realistic-looking 3D geospatial visualization in Google Earth.
Before proceeding, keep in mind the discussion from Chapter 13 concerning 2.5-dimensional (2.5D) data versus 3-dimensional (3D) data. If only one
height value can be assigned to an x/y location, then the data is considered
2.5D, and if multiple z-values can be assigned to an x/y location, then the
data is fully 3D (3D data also has volume). For ease of reading and usage, this
chapter uses the term “3D” throughout to refer to all geospatial phenomena
that incorporate a third dimension into their design or visualization, although
technically, some examples will be 2.5D or pseudo-3D.
See the World in 3D
3D Geovisualization, 3D Modeling and Design, Prism Maps,
Google SketchUp, and Google Earth in 3D
14