CyberCity Generates 3D City Models from Quickbird

CyberCity (Switzerland) has extended its 3D city modeling software CyberCity-Modeler for Quickbird images. CyberCity presents a 3D city model generated from 70cm-ground resolution Quickbird scenes over Phoenix, Arizona (USA). The images were kindly provided by Eurimage S.p.A., Italy. The working area was Phoenix downtown, covering approximately two square kilometres, with skyscrapers in a well-organised network and distinctly separated from one another.

Using CC-Modeler software package, the buildings have been modeled semi-automatically with roof texture from the images themselves and facade textures from suitable images in the software library. If available, (oblique) aerial images can be mapped automatically on the facades.

The achieved results demonstrate the potential of very high-resolution satellite images, like Quickbird, for the extraction of 3D city models for topographic, urban and tourist applications.