Geovisualization.net

Smarter Streets: Case Studies for Cities and Utilities – Learn How the City of Baltimore and Washington Gas Reduced Costs

Join us for a complimentary and informative webinar on Wednesday, September 15, and hear two case studies on new technology deployed by utility companies and government agencies to manage real-time, coordinated planning of repairs to aging infrastructure.

This web-based, centralized, map-driven technology provides for the timely exchange and coordination of construction and maintenance projects online while:

• Reducing construction and paving costs

• Providing better information with which to make operational decisions

• Avoiding the headaches of poorly timed projects and the resulting cost overruns

• Solving the problem of paving streets shortly before a series of planned utility cuts

In the City of Baltimore, the decades-old infrastructure consists of 2,000 miles of roads, 300 bridges and culverts, 7,600 miles of water pipes, storm water drains and wastewater lines, and 3.7 million feet of conduit. Washington Gas serves more than one million residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area. What they have in common are significant challenges working in the Right of Way.
Join us for a complimentary and informative webinar on Wednesday, September 15, and hear two case studies on new technology deployed by utility companies and government agencies to manage real-time, coordinated planning of repairs to aging infrastructure.
This web-based, centralized, map-driven technology provides for the timely exchange and coordination of construction and maintenance projects online while:
• Reducing construction and paving costs• Providing better information with which to make operational decisions• Avoiding the headaches of poorly timed projects and the resulting cost overruns• Solving the problem of paving streets shortly before a series of planned utility cuts

Visualizing LAS LIDAR data with sketch-up

While trying to figure out the way to get a 3D model from raw Lidar data, I first opened my LAS file in Global Mapper, exported it to DXF, imported then into Sketch-up and after recording a few scenes, I saved the animation… this is it!.

Alberto

Using Excel to calculate the RMSE for LiDAR vertical ground control points

(source: http://dominoc925.blogspot.com/)

The height accuracy of the collected LiDAR data can be verified by comparing with independently surveyed ground control points on hard, flat, open surfaces. It is essentially just calculating the height differences for all the control points and then determining the height root mean squared error (RMSE) or differences. Most LiDAR processing software have the reporting function built-in. However, plain Microsoft Excel can also do the job (except for extracting the elevation from the LiDAR data).

Assuming that you are able to calculate the height differences for all the control points and place in a spreadsheet as shown in the figure below. I have a column of delta Z values in column A.

Then to calculate the RMS value for the elevation differences, I can do the following.

In a cell, type in the formula:= SQRT(SUMSQ(A2:A18)/COUNTA(A2:A18))where A2:A18 are the values from cell A2 to A18 in the spreadsheet. Simply replace these with the actual locations on your spreadsheet.
Press RETURN.
The RMSE value is calculated.

(source: http://dominoc925.blogspot.com/)

Data acquisition: How do I know if this river is been well acquired?

I’ve already entered my river but my imagery was in 2D so… was it well acquired?… First of all, I import my shape (shp) file into Global Mapper (what a great sofware!) and export my vector file as a KML.

Import my river.kml file into my brand new Google Earth 5.2 or just double-click it in his location… easyest impossible!.

Select it and use ‘show elevation profile’, a very useful new tool for these purposes…

And that’s it, constant altitude, almost perfect!.

Hope you have considered it interesting:-)

Alberto

The SketchUp 3D API: Working with 3D geospatial data

I hereby post this video by Matt Lowrie (Google). hope it’s interesting for you guys.

Alberto

GIS+Architectural scenaries. Awesome!

Even from scratch or from dgn/dxf vectorial format’s contour lines you create your own scenario.

Then import your model previously created using Sketch-up (this time i used google’s 3d warehouse, thank you Dilbert).

Stamp your house using sketch-up sandbox tools.

Then fur your scenario as if it was grass…

A little of photoshop like clouds and thats it!

Alberto C.
geographer, 3d designer & 3D GIS technician

Map24.com; My favorite route planner!

My very good friend Fernando (a spanish/english like friend of mine:-)) introduced me this magnificent route planner he was using at that moment (three years ago!!!!)… map24.com had a very interesting 3D engine, very easy to use and very reliable… I’ve been using it since but it has never been one of the most famous among route planners in the market…

I strongly recommend it and i really like it a lot! enjoy!

http://www.es.map24.com/
http://www.map24.com/

Alberto C.
geographer, 3d designer & 3D GIS technician

Interesting: sketchup, more than a quick visualization tool.

I’ve extracted this information from the very interesting ‘Sketchup blog’ from Google… They talk about something I have always thought it could happen… Sketchup is not only a rapid visualization tool but a CAD like software with visuallization capabilities which in addition is integrated within a world wide used 3D scenary, perfect for Geovisualization and why not, GIS. Let’s take a look at what they say…

Collard Maxwell Architects is a Sydney-based architecture firm with a philosophy that successful architecture is the synthesis of art, technology and building economics resulting in memorable, economic and sustainable building solutions.

Alberto Sunderland, a Project Leader for CM+A, says that initially SketchUp Pro was used as a quick visualization tool of early concept work.

The models were never very detailed and it was a tool used primarily within the office. It was used as a quick way of understanding massing and scale to determine if the design was heading the right direction.

As our skill grew we began to use SketchUp to generate models we could show our clients to help them understand the projects and to provide a quick and effective way of trying out changes before updating all our cad documentation.

Over a period of time we began to use SketchUp Pro for tender presentations. Although we originally took the images and “dumped them” into Photoshop to create the presentation posters, we eventually discovered the possibilities of the SketchUp Pro’s LayOut tool. Combining LayOut with our SketchUp work has made the creation of simple, effective and clear presentations much quicker than our previous method utilizing Photoshop. We are very impressed.

We anticipate that SketchUp will become the primary visualisation tool in this office and, together with LayOut, it will be used to create most, if not all our presentation slides. The speed and ease of use of the software is amazing, and we are coming to appreciate the importance it may have within our workflow.

thanks to Chris Dizon, SketchUp Pro Team

hope you have consider it interesting.

Regards,

Alberto C.
BA Geography
MSc GIS and Remote Sensing
GIS Technician

ComputaMaps completes 3D Digital Models of stadiums hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

Hi there, let me please show you guys my latest 3D job. I assume mine is the worst among these incredible 3D models created by my argentinian colleague Lisandro Baibiene (and very good friend by the way) …but I am proud they counted on me and allow me to join this winning team… hurray South Africa 2010!. The last one is mine (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (Tswane, SA). Hope You guys like them.

Alberto C.
3D GIS Technician

Cape Town, South Africa/Karlsruhe, Germany – 21 September 2009 – ComputaMaps, a leading geodata manufacturer and supplier, announced at Intergeo 2009 the availability of 3D photorealistic models of the stadiums of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa next year.

Using the latest in 3D software ComputaMaps created real world, fully interactive, geographically accurate 3D models of all 10 stadiums, that combine a photorealistic look with GIS precision. Designed for use in various applications such as navigation, location-based applications, news and media, internet platforms, visitor guides, and on mobile devices, the advanced models provides customers with a three-dimensional experience to browse and explore the 2010 Soccer World Cup venues.

The release of the stadium models builds on the company’s suite of digital 3D city models, presently available for more than 50 cities worldwide.

Three-dimensional models are available for all 10 World Cup stadiums across South Africa:

Green Point Stadium, Cape Town
Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg
Free State Stadium, Mangaung/Bloemfontein
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth

Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Tshwane/Pretoria

Ever tried Google Earth 3D Building Maker?

I started modelling 3D buildings quite a few years ago, I used to use 3D StudioMAX… After almost forgetting everything i knew about modelling, 3D and so on Sketch up was released by Google. In a few days i was not just making demos but working and producing!!! Its extremly easy!!!!. Now They have just released something called “Google Earth 3D Building Maker” and its amazing, theres no need to know anything about modelling, you just have to insert polygons and move vertexes…very intuitive indeed!.