Inferring the number of floors for residential buildings

Data on the number of floors is required for several applications, for instance, energy demand estimation, population estimation, and flood response plans. Despite this, open data on the number of floors is very rare, even when a 3D city model is available. In practice, it is most often inferred with a geometric method: elevation data is used...

CityJSON: a compact and easy-to-use encoding of the CityGML data model

The international standard CityGML is both a data model and an exchange format to store digital 3D models of cities. While the data model is used by several cities, companies, and governments, in this paper we argue that its XML-based exchange format has several drawbacks. These drawbacks mean that it is difficult for developers to implement...

Exploiting the Potential of Integrated Public Building Data: Energy Performance Assessment of the Building Stock in a Case Study in Northern Italy

Smart management of urban built environment relies on the availability of data supporting sound policy making and guiding city renovation processes toward more sustainable and performant models. Nevertheless, public managers are unlikely to have comprehensive information on the existing building stock. In addition, tools providing effective...

A proposal for an improved transportation model in CityGML

CityGML, an OGC standard, is an open data model for virtual 3D city models and includes buildings, roads, terrain, water bodies, etc. While many modules are well-developed (eg buildings, bridges, tunnels), the transportation model is, based on our consultations with various government agencies and municipalities, not sufficient for most...

val3dity: validation of 3D GIS primitives according to the international standards

The validity of 3D primitives in 3D GIS datasets is often a prerequisite for using them in simulation and decision-making software, e.g. visibility analysis, noise pollution assessment, and energy estimation. However, while agreed definitions exist (in the international standard ISO19107), most software vendors ignore them and implement simpler...

CityGML Application Domain Extension (ADE): overview of developments

The Application Domain Extension (ADE) is a built-in mechanism of CityGML to augment its data model with additional concepts required by particular use cases. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the ADE mechanism and a literature review of developments since its introduction a decade ago. The discovery of publications found that...

Level of detail in 3D city models

The concept of level of detail (LOD) describes the content of 3D city models and it plays an essential role during their life cycle. On one hand it comes akin to the concepts of scale in cartography and LOD in computer graphics, on the other hand it is a standalone concept that requires attention. LOD has an influence on tendering and...

Error propagation in the computation of volumes in 3D city models with the Monte Carlo method

This paper describes the analysis of the propagation of positional uncertainty in 3D city models to the uncertainty in the computation of their volumes. Current work related to error propagation in GIS is limited to 2D data and 2D GIS operations, especially of rasters. In this research we have (1) developed two engines, one that generates random...

Formalisation of the level of detail in 3D city modelling

The level of detail in 3D city modelling, despite its usefulness and importance, is still an ambiguous and undefined term. It is used for the communication of how thoroughly real-world features have been acquired and modelled, as we demonstrate in this paper. Its definitions vary greatly between practitioners, standards and institutions. We...

Revisiting the concept level of detail in 3D city modelling

This review paper discusses the concept of level of detail in 3D city modelling, and is a first step towards a foundation for a standardised definition. As an introduction, a few level of detail specifications, outlooks and approaches are given from the industry. The paper analyses the general uncertainties and shortcomings around the concept of...