Cartographic enrichment of 3D city models—state of the art and research perspectives

Abstract

This paper reports on cartographic enrichments of three dimensional geovirtual environments including the representation of 3D city models. In the recent years 3D city models have become effective and powerful tools that support the simulation and visualization of our real world in a more and more realistic and detailed way. At the same time, there is a growing interest in comprising more information in the virtual living environment in addition to interior and exterior geometric features, roof and facade textures. A lot of information is related to houses, floors, flats, rooms, etc. but also to persons or specific features at certain urban locations. The paper presents the state of the art of cartographic principles in 3D city models, discusses approaches of cartographic enrichments with the aim to bring added values to the visual exploration of 3D geovirtual environments and reveals missing cartographic design rules within this area.