So what is Geoweb3d?
The group of us started with a combined expertise in GIS and 3D graphics, and a realization that no one had yet come up with an adequate solution to fuse the two. We also saw the growing role of the Geoweb and how, by making it an integral part of a geospatial solution, one could tap into a wealth of data, location-based information, and alternative ways of viewing one's area of interest. We envisioned an application that could provide high-end 3D visualization of geographic data without any importing or 'data cooking', and then tie that visualization to the larger Geoweb. Then we got to work.
Yes, there are plenty of virtual globes out there. There are also modeling tools for creating 3D renderings and flythroughs of geographic areas. However, every solution available until now has had to make sacrifices in either fidelity, interoperability, or performance. Current 3D GIS applications provide interoperability though direct support of data sources and protocols, but renderings are often of mediocre quality and cannot support detailed visualizations of very large datasets. Virtual globes provide good performance of low-end machines, but are severely limited in their support of user data, forcing users to convert their data into intermediary formats like kml, severing any direct connection to source data. Try viewing a forest of 3D trees and you'll grind to a halt. Finally, there are visualization tools that can create detailed scenes of a small geographic space. However, most of these can not be navigated in real time, they require significant labor and expertise, and they are obsolete the moment they are completed, because they have no interoperability with any source GIS data.
That is what makes us so unique. By utilizing the latest in 3D graphics and GIS technology, we can let you create highly detailed renderings quickly and easily. The scenes you'll see in our gallery and scattered across our website were assembled in a matter of minutes, in real time. What's more, they are not stored in a binary, proprietary file format once they are rendered. When you close the application, the only thing left on your hard drive is your source GIS data, your original 3D object models, and a tiny xml project file describing how your data should be visualized. Load that project file and the whole scene will be recreated in seconds before your eyes, reflecting any changes in the source data since the last time you ran the application!
The workflow is simple. First, load your data. Then, choose how you want to represent it.
You can load data by browsing for it, dragging it into the application from the file system, or ArcGIS users can even open an mxd file and have immediate access to the data layers it contains. Supported raster file formats include GeoTiff, Jpeg2000, ECW, IMG, and many more. Vector formats include shapefile, ESRI geodatabase, GPX and e00 to name just a few.
You then have many choices in ways of representing your data, ranging from thematic to realistic. For example, display your bus lines as colored overlays, your trees as 3D models, and your lightposts both as 3D lightposts and light points that will illuminate the ground and nearby objects. As time goes by, the list of options will continue to grow. In the future, you'll even be able to represent your lakes as rippling 3D water, for instance. Software maintenance will ensure you continue to constantly receive new enhancements as they are released. Best of all, because the scene is rendered on the fly, you'll be able to enhance your projects within minutes of installing an update!
Once you've assembled your scene, explore it. Fly around using a Space Navigator. Don't restrict yourself to just one tab. Clone your view and look at your creation from multiple angles. Now spawn an ArcGIS tab and replicate your view within the map. Two clicks later you can be looking at the same location in a Google map, or from a bird's eye view in Virtual Earth. In future updates, we'll start enabling you to tap into your own web mashups, navigating and overlaying data from the same shared table of contents.
In upcoming posts to our blog, we'll explore our product more, share with you the next big thing we're working on, and give you our take on the GIS industry, the Geoweb, and 3D visualization. Stay up to date by subscribing to our RSS feed or by following our Twitter.
