Chapter 7
This chapter focuses on the concept and application of 3D web scenes, positioning them as an advanced and highly beneficial evolution of traditional 2D mapping, offering major advantages in data visualization, analysis, and communication by making it quicker and easier to understand the size and relative positions of objects in fields like urban planning, architectural design, defense simulation, and filmmaking. The chapter identifies two main scene types: Photorealistic, which uses imagery to re-create visible reality, and Cartographic, which applies 2D mapping techniques in 3D. notes that scenes can be displayed in two view modes: Local mode or Global mode. Key elements comprising a 3D web scene include Surfaces; DTM and DSM, Features; operational layers, Textures, and Atmospheric effects, while layers such as integrated mesh and intriguing point cloud layers are used for detailed data representation and visualization. The structure of complex scenes like building scene layers is detailed by components such as category and discipline layers, and critical to this advanced mapping is handling vertical space using z-values and Z layers to address challenges like mapping multi-floor buildings. This chapter highlights the collaboration between GIS data and immersive technologies like VR, XR, and the Metaverse, which allows users to interact with maps and gain a first-person perspective, with the overall process involving a six-step workflow from choosing the mode and base map to adding, configuring, and saving the layers.