Dense Image Matching for Easy 3D Modelling

New Threat and Opportunity for Professional Surveyors

Normally when something is too good to be true, it is not true. But in the case of dense image matching (DIM), professional surveyors should look twice – because their clients, and certainly those in the construction, infrastructure and 3D city mapping markets, certainly will. 'GIM International' asked John Taylor, who is responsible at Bentley Systems for reality modelling in Asia Pacific and in the global defence market, for his insights into DIM. Dense image matching (DIM) did not arrive like a bolt from the blue. It has been around in the photogrammetric world for the past two decades but, through further... (read more)

2017-06-28 08:42:21

OGC Calls for Comments on Open Modelling Interface Standard

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and the OpenMI Association (OA) have announced a call for public comment on the Open Modelling Interface Version 2 (OpenMI) and its accompanying reference manual. This standard defines a means by which independently developed computer models of environmental processes, or indeed any processes, can exchange data as they run and hence facilitates the modelling of interacting processes. The original driver for the standard was the European Water Framework Directive and its requirement for an integrated approach to water management. It was foreseen that implementing the Directive would be very challenging and that there would be... (read more)

2013-05-07 08:45:15

Topcon and Bentley Bundle Reality Modelling Software with UAS

Topcon Positioning Group has introduced Topcon ContextCapture, powered by Bentley Systems, a reality modelling software solution that will be offered with Topcon unmanned aerial systems (UASs). The system is designed for mapping, construction and surveying professionals. It enables them to quickly turn simple photographs and/or point cloud data into true-to-life, highly detailed 3D models for use throughout a project life cycle. The offering will include Topcon ContextCapture Standard and Topcon ContextCapture Advanced, said Charles Rihner, vice president of the Topcon GeoPositioning Solutions Group. The standard package will be bundled with Falcon 8 and Sirius Basic/Pro and allows operators to process data from... (read more)

2017-03-08 09:51:38

Bentley Expands BIM Modelling Possibilities for Major Projects

Bentley Systems, a leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure, has announced the availability of AECOsim Building Designer CONNECT Edition. This is Bentley’s new building information modelling (BIM) application designed for building projects of significant size and engineering complexity, and which are typically characterised by the challenges of combining vertical construction and horizontal infrastructure (like roads, railways, utilities, etc.). On such projects, design and project delivery firms often have broad responsibilities for multiple project delivery disciplines and across subcontractors and joint-venture organisations. Users of AECOsim Building Designer V8i have demonstrated its versatility in a wide range of... (read more)

2017-09-19 09:29:53

New Approach to Photorealistic 3D Modelling of Buildings

GeoCV, Russia, will be presenting its new software product for rapid creation of life-like 3D building models from photos at Intergeo 2012 in Hanover, Germany, from 9 to 11 October 2012. In Hall 9, Booth J26, visitors can witness how a 3D building with clean textures and 3D facade elements can be created from street-view or aerial oblique imagery in less than one hour. According to Alexander Velizhev, CEO at GeoCV, today's automated solutions are prone to low quality 3D models, while thorough manual modelling needs huge investments in terms of time and money, especially when it comes to such... (read more)

2012-10-05 10:54:37

3D Modelling of a Cadastral Treasure in Slovenia

Towards a 3D Cadastre in Slovenia

In the last decade, there has been a significant global trend towards 3D real property cadastres. Besides the legal framework, the modelling and graphical representation of 3D real property units have gained an important place on the research and development agenda. This Slovenian case illustrates what a ‘data treasure’ is: the cadastral and other spatial data within the national spatial data infrastructure for generation of 3D real property graphical models within a 3D cadastre. The roots of the Slovenian land administration system lie in the traditional parcel-oriented dual Austrian system, divided into the land surveying part (cadastre) and the legal... (read more)

2017-04-04 01:24:55

7 Inspiring Articles on 3D City Modelling

No modern city is future-proof without a ‘digital twin’: the 3D city model. 3D city models are virtual representations of urban environments and include buildings, terrain, infrastructure, landscapes, vegetation and landmarks. This series of articles on projects in cities such as Singapore emphasises the value and importance of 3D city modelling and highlights its many potential applications. Singapore: Towards a Smart Nation Since the inception of its Smart Nation programme in 2014, Singapore has emerged as a world leader in smart city initiatives. One of the centrepieces of Singapore’s strategy has been the development of a highly accurate 3D digital... (read more)

2018-06-14 10:43:47

3D Flood Modelling Tool Presented at MAPPS

Blue Marble Geographics has been selected to present on the COAST Tool at the 2013 MAPPS Summer Conference. The conference will be held in Rockland, Maine, USA, on 22-26 July. Blue Marble President Patrick Cunningham will be speaking on the development of COAST (Coastal Adaptation to Sea Level Rise Tool), a free GIS-based tool for modelling and estimating losses that are the result of sea level rise from climate change and storm surge. This modelling tool allows GIS analysts to forecast the costs associated with potential flooding events, model strategies to reduce those costs and publish this data in 3D... (read more)

2013-06-26 09:19:23

Commission 3: WEGENER 2014 – Measuring and Modelling Our Dynamic Planet

IAG Commission 3 ‘Earth Rotation and Geodynamics’ studies the entire range of physical processes associated with how the Earth moves and deforms in response to internal and external forces. This includes the entire range of phenomena associated with Earth rotation and Earth orientation such as polar motion, length of day, precession and nutation, as well as tidal processes such as solid Earth and ocean loading tides, and crust and mantle deformation associated with tectonic motions and isostatic adjustment. The purpose of Commission 3 is to promote, disseminate and, where appropriate, help to co-ordinate research in this broad arena. Sub-Commission 3.5... (read more)

2014-06-06 10:41:51

Modelling Tool for Coastal Adaptation to Sea-level Rise

Blue Marble Geographics (USA) has been selected by the New England Environmental Finance Center (NEEFC) from the Edmund Muskie School of Policy Research at the University of Southern Maine to develop the software interface for a coastal climatic-disruption modelling tool entitled COAST. The tool will be used to create a GIS model of cost-avoidance strategies to protect against asset damage from sea-level rise due to storm surge and coastal flooding. The tool is being beta-tested in Portland, Maine and coastal New Hampshire and additional software development for the project has already been planned. Under the direction of CTO... (read more)

2011-12-20 09:37:54