Putting The Third Dimension In 3D

Aerial mapping company BlueSky Monday launched Point-Z, a national database of land and building height measurements that holds the height above sea level for any given point in Great Britain. Point-Z comprises a grid of billions of survey points collected every 5 meters or less using sophisticated remote sensing technology. Height accuracy varies from less than 1 meter to as little as 5 centimeters for selected areas such as high-risk flood plains and coastal zones.

Point-Z data has many applications from civil engineering, flood risk assessment, and quarrying to mobile network planning, railway engineering and personal navigation. The Point-Z database is revolutionary as it is based entirely upon data collected by remote sensing. It replaces traditional contour maps drawn from costly and time consuming land surveying work. Point Z data creates a much more accurate contour map captured electronically using remote sensing.

Most notable in the Point-Z database is NEXTMap Britain, a new terrain map of the whole of Great Britain created by Intermap Technologies. This groundbreaking national mapping project took only two years to complete and involved a Learjet specially equipped with a highly accurate Radar sensor flying at night at an altitude of over 20,000 ft to scan the land with unprecedented accuracy.

Additional Point-Z data is derived from other remote sensing methods such as aerial photography and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), which is used for areas where centimeter accuracy is required. The standard format is an XYZ text file, but other formats for more experienced users across a range of software are also available. Every individual point in the Point-Z database will be tagged to provide information (meta data) about the grid spacing, height accuracy, date, acquisition method, copyright and whether it is an bald earth indicator or a first surface height for features such as trees or buildings.

Elevation points may be used in isolation but their real value lies in providing the 3rd dimension in maps when viewed as contours or with software to create cross sections and most spectacularly real world visualizations and fly-throughs when matched to aerial photography. These 3D landscapes and cityscapes, can be modelled to reflect proposed development such as new buildings, roads and quarries as a useful aid for planners, architects and civil engineers. Applications for road vehicle telemetry and synthetic vision for fog bound aircraft are also being developed.

FMI: www.bluesky-world.com