Holographic relief map production by using topographic line maps (Digital carto-holograms)

Abstract

Most of the inventions in the history discovered by accidentally or inspire of irrelevant association between things. In most cases, somewhere in time, someone else has already imagined it before, but has not been materialized yet. It is so hard to match the idea and the final product in reality, and therefore many of people throws their ideas to the mind trash. But addiction to the idea prepares all the circumstances and brings every possible opportunity to make it real. The thought of a Digital Carto-Holograms (DCH) or Holographic Relief Map (HRM) came into mind such a way a few years ago. It was so popular on those days to have 3D Hologram Eye on the cell-phone’s screen among teens. This idea was a perfect practical marketing strategy for a production company. On the other hand it was an innovative object to a person who manufactures Plastic Relief Maps (PRM). Main problems with the PRM were inflexibility, lack of depicting objects without their heights and aligning features on the plastic sheet with the relief itself. It could be possible to eliminate these disadvantages of PRM with DCH. After preparing theoretical background for over 5 years, it was possible to create the frontier of DCH by using sample vector map data within six months. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the terrain was used to create the perspective, Topographic Line Map (TLM) data, such as line, point and area features were converted to 3D objects, in place of imaginary 2D map symbols, and the aerial photograph to give more realistic view. Exaggeration was implemented on the 3D models to prevent from vanishing on the terrain. After finishing this 3D TLM, it was possible to edit the model by using Autodesk’s 3D Studio Max software. The model then posed on a suitable film to produce the Computer Generated Hologram (CGH). In this paper you’ll find the story of this product, benefits of holographic techniques for relief maps, development phases, suggested procedures to follow, main problems for such a production line and the product itself. Although it is a demonstration product, there are too many issues have to be solved in the near feature to create 3D TLM for producing thousands of map sheets. This innovation of the very first and primitive Holographic Relief Map (HRM) gives us hope to solve some disadvantages of Classical Plastic Relief Maps.