VGI3D: an Interactive and Low-Cost Solution for 3D Building Modelling from Street-Level VGI Images

Abstract

Applications in smart cities are inseparable from the usage of three-dimensional (3D) building models. However, the cost of generating and constructing 3D building models with semantic information is high both in time and in labour. To solve this problem, we developed a web-based interactive system, VGI3D, with the ambition of becoming a VGI platform to collect 3D building models with semantic information by using the power of crowdsourcing. VGI3D is a platform-independent software program that is composed of a spatially relational database (PostgreSQL/PostGIS) for the storage and management of spatially geometrical data and other software modules, allowing users to import, analyse, reconstruct, visualise, modify and export 3D building models according to the OBJ/CityGML standard. In this paper, we present the VGI3D in detail, focusing on relevant technical implementations, and report the results of limited usability testing aimed at optimising the system and user experience. After limited expert and non-expert participants’ testing, we proved the usefulness of VGI3D and its promising value for the 3D modelling community.