Application of GML and X3D to 3D Urban Data Modeling: A Practical Approach

In this study, two standard specifications such as GML (Geography Markup Language) from OGC (Open Geo-spatial Consortium, Inc.) and X3D (extensible 3D) from Web3D consortium were dealt with for a web-based 3D urban application without using commercialized tools. In the first step of this study, DEM (Digital Elevation Model) and 3D GIS data sets were converted to GML structure with attribute schema. Then, these GML elements were projected onto a common coordinate system, and they were converted to the X3D format for visualization on web browser. In this work, a 3D urban data model, as a simple framework model, is extended to a framework model having further detailed information, depending upon application levels. Conclusively, this study is to demonstrate for practical uses of GML and X3D in 3D urban application and this approach can be applied to other application domains regarding system integrators and data sharing communities on distributed environments.