ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides descriptions and analyses of the three major approaches to data acquisition — image-based, point cloud—based, and hybrid. It focuses on the management of data. The book explores the state of the art in using mobile devices to query and retrieve geodatabase information “on the fly.” It also provides extensive exploration into system architecture requirements and various ways to generate and transmit 3D information to mobile devices. The book deals with several operational examples from research projects. It also focuses on the data issue from a number of viewpoints: data collection, database structures and representation, database management, and visualization. The book also presents a historical overview of the issues involved integrating geographic information systems and architecture, engineering, and construction. It explains one of the major challenges facing data integration in large-scale 3D or, in fact, any modeling efforts.
