Implementation of an open platform for 3D spatial information based on WebGL

Abstract

VWorld is run by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport of South Korea and provides national spatial information, such as aerial images, digital elevation models, and 3D structural models. We propose herein an open platform for 3D spatial information based on WebGL using spatial information from VWorld. WebGL is a web‐based graphics library and has the advantage of being compatible with various web browsers. Our open platform is also compatible with various web browsers. Accordingly, it is easily accessible via the VWorld site and uses the three‐dimensional (3D) map program. In this study, we describe the proposed platform configuration, and the requests, management, and visualization approaches for VWorld spatial information data. Our aim is to establish an approach that will provide a stable rendering speed even on a low‐end personal computer without a graphics processing unit based on a quadtree structure. We expect that users will be able to visualize 3D spatial information through the VWorld open platform, and that the proposed platform will become the basis for various applications.

Keywords

• 3D map
• geographic information system
• spatial information
• VWorld
• WebGL