The document provides information on how to build 3D visualizations of places using geographic information systems (GIS) and other software tools. It discusses obtaining digital elevation data, creating 3D terrain models and draping historical maps on them using ArcGIS. It also introduces VRML for authoring 3D scenes and lists software for viewing, editing and optimizing 3D models for real-time rendering. The goal is to virtually reconstruct places and landscapes over time through interactive 3D visualization.

1. How to Build Rome in 1 Day by Bolin Zhang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

2. ON OUR WEBSITE
WordPress WidGets Poll
What do you want for your project?
Or, Webs [under construction]
http://www.topography-of-ancient-rome.webs.com
Photo Credit
http://linuxdev.ats.ucla.edu/
HyperCities
Timeline Map Collections

3. MEET THE PROS @ DUKE
Duke ISIS Mapping Team
http://isismapping.org/duketour/
Multimedia Mapping: Muhuru Bay project
http://muhurubay.org/MuhuruWeb/Welcome.html
Visualizing Art, Law, and Markets
http://vis.duke.edu/
Visualization Technology Group
GIS Lab Perkins Lib 226
Photo is from RedGraph:
http://www.ibiblio.org/hhalpin/homepage/presentations/visforum/

4. UNFOLD YOUR IMAGINATION
What happened to Yosemite Valley?
These maps are images from
the chapter titled “Historical
Maps in GIS”, from the book,
Past Times, Past Place: GIS for
History, ERSI Press, 2002. From:
www.davidrumsey.com

5. REVISIT THE OLD VALLEY
http://www.davidrumsey.com/view/3d-gis

6. TOOLKIT
ArcView
Adobe Photoshop
MrSID Raster
Google Earth/Sketch Up
…
ArcScene, ArcGlobe, ArcEngine, 3d Max, AutoCAD
…
Andriod, iPhone App
From: www.davidrumsey.com
And More…Questions??
Language: VRML,KML, XML,Python
Free Goodies: Icon Archive, 3d
Warehouse;Tourweaver; ESRI
resource center
Duke GIS Lab;

7. OBTAIN DEM DATASET
USGS: Find Data, Elevation
http://edc2.usgs.gov/geodata/index.php
DEM Files Viewer:
http://www.ivtools.org/vhclmaps/demviewer.html
Data and GIS service @ Duke:
http://library.duke.edu/data/collections/index.html
ArcGIS 3D Analyst Tutorial
http://www.webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.3/pdf/3D_Analyst_Tutorial.pdf
Derivative map from image 2 draped on a 10-meter DEM
in ERDAS Virtual GIS. (Source for all three images: CGS
collected and interpreted data. Additional sources as
noted in figure above.)
Photo Credit: The Colorado Geological Survey Maps
Development With GIS 2004

8. GIS EXPLORER FOR EVERYONE
Download the offline version ArcGIS Explorer and get the add-ins
Intro Video http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/explorer/demos.html
Cheat sheets @ its Blog
http://blogs.esri.com/Info/blogs/arcgisexplorerblog/default.aspx
Create your maps/models off line
Share them with your Online Account

9. A SEAMLESS GIS/GOOGLE WORKFLOW
3D Buildings
• Using Sketch Up to build the building model
• Save the file with KMZ format (tour video will be zipped in the final KMZ file)
• If you still want to use 3D Warehouse to save loading time, save the placemarks, tours,
page info, and polygons in a kml file. But remember to check each placemark with the
model you already upload to 3D Warehouse.
3D Terrian
• Using ArcGIS Scene to create a TIN on a topo layer. (import the base .shp contour file
first)
• Import the imaginary file (e.g. an old map), make show the two layers are on the same
scale and hopefully the exact same matching top-down location
• Drape the new layer by right click on PropertiesàBase Height Tabàobtain height info
from the TINàApplyàPreviewàOKàExport Scene in 3Dà”Hello, Earth!” VRML 3D
Terrian

10. ON THE MARGIN
Or, Creating VRML w/DEM
• SDTS fileàDEM http://data.geocomm.com/dem/sdts2dem.html (GeoComm also
provides dataset and opensource softwares for GIS!)
• DEMàGrid ArcGIS Toolbox
• ArcScene, Add Data w/ the Grid created by toolbox VISUALIZATION OF URBAN INFORMATION
• 3D: Change Scene PropertiesàAdd up Vertical Exaggeration Virtual 3D city models serve as generic tools for an increasing number
administration and industry that demand for visualizing geoinformatio
requirements made on the visualization techniques vary. In the Berlin
• Base Heights tabàobtain heights from grid dataàApply address several visualization techniques.
Photorealistic Visualization
In the context of tourism, entertainment, or public participation a high d
is required (Fig. 3). For instance, if the aim is to give a realistic im
VRML Authoring and Crafting environment, the quality of a 3D visualization is directly related to the
virtual city model and the actual result after implementation of the plann
• A format that can contain 3D models like COLLADA(sketchup exportenable real-time rendering of large-scale 3D city models, rates. geo
To .dae file)
to be reduced in order to guarantee high and constant frame
their
For
geometry or texture related optimization and multiresolution algorithm
• View: Free WRL: http://freewrl.sourceforge.net/ can be applied to achieve real-time rendering even for complex virtual
Buchholz & Döllner 2005b, Willmott et al. 2001).
• Edit: Seamless 3D: http://www.seamless3d.com/download/
• Mashlab: http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/
• Other: http://www.web3d.org/x3d/vrml/tools/viewers_and_browsers/
• http://www.ai.sri.com/geovrml/
Photo Source ”Berlin-3D”from RSS GmbH, Potsdam/München, DRL Berlin-Adlershof, and 3D Geo GmbH, Potsdam