ABSTRACT
The recent growth in our ability to construct models of cities using a 3D visual representation has been phenomenal (Batty 2000; Batty et al. 2001; Jepson 2006). Thanks to the rapid advancement of information technologies, remote-sensing technologies, online resources, and the increasingly available large-scale spatial data, we see amazingly realistic visual representation of urban environments within which we
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 133 Trends of 3D City Models ...................................................................................... 135
A Trend in the 3D City Visualization and Modeling Approaches ............. 135 A Typology of Data and Modeling Methods .............................................. 135
The Degree of Reality — The Amount of Geometric Content ....... 135 Types of Data Input — Capturing Heights and Façade
Information ......................................................................... 137 Transition I: From CAD to GIS .................................................................. 138 Transition II: From Local to Global ........................................................... 139
Spatiotemporal Visualization of a City .................................................................. 139 Significance of Spatiotemporal Visualization ............................................ 139 Conceptual Framework for Patching Multiple City Models ....................... 140 Conceptual Framework for Creating a Spatiotemporal Database .............. 141
Spatiotemporal 3D City Model of Buffalo ............................................................ 141 Patching Multiple City Models of Buffalo ................................................. 141 Building a 3D Temporal GIS Model of Buffalo ......................................... 144 Interface of the Spatiotemporal Model ....................................................... 145
Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 146 Summary .................................................................................................... 146 Issues Identified in the Case Study ............................................................. 146 Future Prospects ......................................................................................... 147
References .............................................................................................................. 147
can immerse ourselves to fly through and interact with the virtual representation of other users as well as the virtual environment itself as if we are in a real city (Jepson and Friedman 1998; Snyder and Jepson 1999). The use of 3D city models as a platform to carry out applications and simulations is also becoming more and more common. In fact, a host of applications and projects have been developed in the planning, designing, decision-making, property marketing, gaming, and other related industries alike (Leavitt 1999; Smith 1999; Padmore 2000; Batty et al. 2001). The range of standards and data formats adopted by these 3D city models is also quite diverse, making some of the models more appropriate for public presentation while other models provide opportunities for in-depth analysis and evaluation of the urban landscape (Shiode 2001; Takase et al. 2003).
