by Matt Ball on May 23, 2012
This content first appeared in Informed Infrastructure. Hexagon AB today announced the acquisition of myVR, provider of software for photorealistic 2D, 3D, and 360-degree visualization of interactive maps over low-bandwidth connections. The Norwegian company compresses large 3D models for viewing on many platforms, including mobile phones and tablets. The 3D city model viewing and 3D [...]
by Matt Ball on April 26, 2012
It’s funny, my first reaction to the Trimble buys SketchUp news was that it was some kind of spoof, and I checked the link and site closely. It was surprising, because who knew that Google was selling anything, and while very strategic for both Trimble and Google, it’s hard to imagine how this went down. [...]
by Matt Ball on April 26, 2012
Trimble has announced today the agreement to acquire SketchUp from Google. This is very interesting news for the advancement of 3D modeling, with potential to tie more directly to data capture tools through the many handheld and scanning technologies that the company provides. Trimble will partner with Google on running and developing SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse. [...]
by Matt Ball on April 13, 2012
A little more than three years ago, I penned a column about geospatial technology frontiers. While acknowledging the expansion of GIS technology across more and more disciplines, the column aimed to summarize some of the main areas of research and development, where the vision has been clear for some time, but where technology limitations have [...]
by Matt Ball on February 4, 2012
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s City Planning Department has created a 3D city planning map which is now online. The 3D city map includes traffic routes and infrastructure systems, which will we be added to with help from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. To date there are 990 3D structures out of a total [...]
by Matt Ball on February 3, 2012
This may be a perennial question, as certainly the rise and promise of universal 3D geovisualization keeps coming in waves that are similar to the promise of location-based services. With each wave, we all ride the crest, and perhaps a few move toward the ongoing capture and visualization of our geographies beyond just a project [...]
by Matt Ball on January 20, 2012
UpNext debuts interactive and fluid 3D maps, available on iPad and Android. There are enhanced 3D models of 23 cities in the United States with 50 world cities that show points of interest and Foursquare checkins, with the idea that you’ll be able to see the activities that are “up next” in your area. View [...]
by Matt Ball on December 21, 2011
Siemens, along with robotics researchers from MIT, have developed an autonomous helicopter sensor platform for the detailed capture of complex interiors and the mapping and inspection of dangerous and inaccessible sites. The quadrocopter uses artificial intelligence to make sense of its surroundings. The platform uses lasers to scan its surroundings, and optical and video cameras [...]
by Matt Ball on December 16, 2011
The workflows of capturing and extracting digital reality from point clouds has taken some leaps forward recently, given advancements in both computer hardware and software. The increased speed at which these large volumes of data are processed, and the automation of feature extraction, greatly improve the utility of the data. While, the workflow aims at [...]
by Matt Ball on December 14, 2011
The large-scale and interactive 3D Google Earth display of Paris’ planning, is an impressive means of communicating details about areas that are under development through 2020. The 37 square meter display at the Paris Center for Architecture and Urbanism replaces a physical model with an evolving and interactive aerial and 3D model view of the [...]