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Chapter 7 introduced me to 3D visualization and how it can transform spatial data into immersive and interactive environments. I was very interested in how scene viewer allows users to convert basic 2D GIS data into 3D scenes with points, many types of polygons, in the sky and undergound features. Chapter 7 made it very clear to me that 3D GIS doesn’t only just make maps look more appealing but it also helps people explain spatial relationships such as underground utilites, building heights, sunlight and shadow changes throughout the day. 

One of the most interesting parts of the reading to me was when it talked about VR, XR and also MR technologies how these overlap in the theory of the metaverse. The idea that GIS data can help construct real looking 3D worlds whether it’s for gaming, urban planning or emergency training this shows how geography and virtual design are becoming more secure than ever. I also thought the ArcGIS indoors and ArcGIS urban was very cool. Having these tools to use for 3D mapping can help us go beyond just outdoor areas and shift into interior spaces and city planning. 

Application: Using the information from chapter 7 I could create a 3D web scene of the Ohio Wesleyan University campus. I tried to make my map look good but this was the best I could do unfortunately. My map isn’t good at all compared to others but I added different types of  trees to the campus of OWU.

CHAP 7: 3D WEB SCENES
3D is easier to navigate than 2D bc the real world is 3D (woah never wouldve guessed)
3D can be photorealistic or cartographic
Divided into surfaces (elevation), features (things on the elevation), and atmosphere
Feature layers can show different objects such as benches
Building scene layer: allows for scenes of buildings
Discipline and Category exist but I don’t entirely understand what they are
Filters allow you to view only specific parts of the scene
Integrated Mesh layers use drone data to make a mesh of the scene
Pointed maps are like those LIDAR scans (which my only experience with LIDAR is with horror games so. bleh.)
Voxel scenes add temperature into the mix of 3D scenes
For city planning ArcGIS CityEngine is used to build cities and has been used in movies
3D scenes can be used in VR and AR
3D GIS can be used in indoor planning or in urban planning


Application: i imagine it’s more efficient to model a city in ArcGIS than in blender, so you could make a city, or if you aren’t going to do that, a building or a room

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.

Chapter 7 –

Chapter 7 was really focused on 3D mapping and web scenes. The few key objectives learned from this chapter were learning a general understanding of web scenes and the different terminology that one would need to know, learning about different scene layers and features that can help you create them, create the web scenes by using tools like Scene Viewer, understanding things like 3D, metaverse, AEC, and overall GIS values, and also creating/using different feature layers enabled with z-values. Those are just some of the key things learned in chapter 7 that would be useful in understanding 3D maps as a whole. Creating 3D maps is definitely more advanced than just a typical regular map so it covers everything you need to know about these web scenes. 

An simple example of an application that could be possible with the information we learned in chapter 7 would be mapping a neighborhood or city and being able to turn it into a 3D map to see all of the buildings. This can be useful for a number of reasons including real estate development, city planning for building, and even for prospective students wanting a 3D virtual tour of a campus. 

Chapter 7: This chapter showed how 3D web scenes can be applied to certain areas. Something that the chapter mentioned that I thought was very intriguing was the use of point cloud layers to map. Through creating this layer and then changing the colors to be more accurate to the actual land, a picture is made that helps the viewer visualize the land without having an exact image of it. Something else that the chapter mentioned was the use of phone tracing apps to monitor where people are. This is super cool, but I would not have thought about the issues that I could run into with buildings that have multiple floors. Through the 3d Mapping in this chapter, I learned how to combat that. Because certain objects are on different Z layers that control their height. This chapter was very interesting because I essentially got to build my own map and customize it with 3D images and symbols. Additionally, I learned how to create a map displaying varying populations across a large area. It was also very intriguing to see how mapping works underground, and how so many different features can be displayed within one map.

An application of the skills I learned in this chapter would be creating a 3D map displaying my house, the trees around it, our patio furniture, and my old playset.

Chapter 7-

This chapter overviews 3D web scenes. There are two main types of them which are Photorealistic and Cartographic. Photorealistic use imagery and shows visible things like cities. Cartographic is used with the 2D mapping techniques but in 3D. You could do these scenes in local or global mode. There are four types of elements; surfaces, features, textures and atmospheric effects. Surfaces are continuous measurements and are either DTM ( Digital Terrain Model, bare ground surface without objects) or DSM (Digital Surface Model, ground surface with objects). Features are the operational layers, they are on, above or below the surface layers. Textures are exterior or interior covers of the features. Atmospheric effects are things like lighting or fog. The structure for creating a building scene layer includes the overview (optional) which allows you to see the building as a single layer, discipline which combines category layers into disciplines like plumbing or electrical, category layer is the individual categories like windows, and lastly filter which allows you to see details in complex buildings. There are also integrated mesh scene layers which are made using large sets of overlapping imagery, and point cloud scene layers which symbolize point cloud data. Point scene layers display large amount of point data and are thinned to improve visibility. To create a web scene you have 6 steps. First choose global or local, then a base map, then you add layers, configure the layers, capture slides if necessary, and finally save and share your scene. You could also use GIS in VR which I think is really interesting and cool.

Chapter 7

• • 3D maps have advantages with data visualization, analysis, and communication
  • 3D maps often more preferred for users
  • Scenes in 3D maps can be divided into two main types:

• Photorealistic- recreate reality using photos to texture features

• Cartographic- take 2D thematic mappings and convert them into 3D

• • Four types of elements in scenes:

• Surfaces- continuous measurements with one value for a given x,y location

• • • • Digital elevation model (DEM)
      • Digital terrain model (DTM)
      • Digital surface model (DSM)

• Features- operational layers of 3D map

• Textures- exterior or interior covers for 3D surfaces

• Atmospheric Effects- ex: lighting or fog

• 3D Object Scene Layers- used to represent and visualize 3D objects

• Building Scene Layers- visualize complex models of buildings and interact with all the components of the building

• • 3D Building Scene Layer structure:

• Overview

• Discipline

• Category Layer

• Filter

• Integrated Mesh Scene Layers- constructed from large sets of overlapping imagery

• Point Cloud Scene Layers- fast display of large volumes of symbolized point cloud data

• Point Scene Layers- used to display large amount of point data not possible with a point feature layer

• Voxel Scene Layers- multidimensional spatial and temporal information in a 3D volumetric visualization

• Scene Viewer, ArcGIS Pro, and CityEngine are the primary tools for creating web scenes

• XR- real and virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions

• Metaverse- network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection

• • ArcGIS has been expanding into indoor 3D mapping

• ArcGIS Urban– applies GIS technology to urban planning to streamline plan creation

• • Plans, projects, indicators, ideas
• ArcGIS GeoBIM
  • ETL: requires ongoing maintenance as business needs and file formats change
  • BIM as 3D Graphics: quick, effective technique for producing good-quality visualizations for presentations and stakeholder review, but eliminates BIM attribution, metadata, and georeferencing information
• I could use the information I learned during this chapter to create a scene for a park in my hometown. Coe Lake Park is in Berea, Ohio and I think a map of it could be very fun and interactive.

Chapter 7: This chapter is about making our maps 3D and how that can be beneficial to our maps. Some advantages of a 3D GIS map are: wider applicability in storytelling, urban planning, architectural design, defense simulation, filmmaking, and many other industries. GIS technologies in 3D enable audiences to quickly understand the size and relative positions of objects. One thing I did think was really cool is that WebGIS has the ability to provide x-ray or radar vision, granted that it is some applications not all applications, which can be extremely useful in certain situations. Another useful feature brought up is the two view modes for scenes. Local mode displays features on a planar surface, and global mode displays features on a sphere. Both can be useful within our maps to display phenomena that cover a large or small geographic area, above the ground or under the ground. Another cool feature is the integrated mesh scene layers. It’s fascinating that WebGIS can take our data and create textures. This chapter also talks about how VR interacts with GIS data. The idea that as more data is updated into GIS, allowing for VR users to “interact” with the data and maps created is an amazing thing. It allows people to get a first person perspective on what has been created. 

One application based on this chapter could be the creation of maps showing the topography of Ohio Wesleyan’s campus over multiple decades. It could be useful information to the university and just cool information to have in general. 

Chapter 7 talks about the pervasiveness of the 3D world and how it is often more convenient and effective to understand and analyze the world using 3D maps.

The focus of the chapter is 3D web scenes. Extended reality XR is fundamental to the 3D world and enhances GIS. XR includes AR, VR, and MR (mixed reality). 3D adds more to 2D maps, bringing advancements in data visualization, analysis, and communication. These advantages give 3D GIS more applicability across industries. Understanding the size and relative positioning of objects is a benefit of GIS 3D technologies, enhancing the experience of the audience. One other advantage of 3D GIS is that it supports the work of designers in formulating flexible scenarios in order to avoid mistakes down the road when doing that actual construction. Functions like fly-around, X-ray vision, or radar vision are possible with some 3D apps. 3D GIS has some powerful analytics capabilities as well.

A 3D web scene can have various layers like a 2D web map. Scene layers stand out and the others are consistent from what we have been studying. Visually, there are two groupings for scenes. The photorealistic effect entails a recreation of reality by using photos to texture features. These types of scenes use imagery as the texture, beneficial for showing objects like cities. The cartographic effect uses the thematic techniques of 2D mapping and transforms them to 3D. Attribute-driven symbols are involved and these scenes show abstract, or even invisible features like population density and much more.

In addition, there are two view modes for scenes including the local mode which displays features on a flat 2D surface or a planar surface. Then there is global mode which displays features on a sphere. With both, data and things that have a large or small geographic area can be displayed as well as above ground or under ground phenomena. The next part of the chapter discusses the four main elements of scenes including surfaces, features, textures, and atmospheric effects. Surfaces are continuous measurements like elevation for instance with one value for a given coordinate x,y location. Surfaces aka digital elevation models (DEM), digital terrain models (DTM), or digital surface models (DSM). DEM is the overarching acronym encompassing DTM, and DSM. DTM, particularly, represents the bare ground without objects like plants or buildings. DSM represents the ground surface with objects on it. Features exist on, above, or below the surfaces and can be 2D layers of 3D scene layers. These are the operational layers of 3D apps.

Next, textures give exterior or interior covers of the 3D features, often using aerial imagery or cartographic symbols. Finally, the element of atmospheric effects including lighting and fog. A web scene can have 2D layers and as other 2D layers exist on the surface, feature layers can be configured with 2D or 3D symbols. They can have elevation configured as constant values, or have elevation from the z-values for feature layers and those z-values enabled. A web scene can also include 3D scene layers. These are cached we layers optimized for showing large almonds of 2D and 3D features.

There are 6 types of scene layers and the first is the 3D object scene layer. These show 3D objects like textured or untextured buildings. These can be created manually or automatically. Procedural modeling is more effective than manual modeling. ArcGIS CityEngine® can export scenes as scene layer packages (SLPK) from which you can publish 3D object scene layers (see figure). Second, there are building scene layers that allow for the visualization of complex digital models of buildings, interacting with all components of the building. Building scene layers are created from a building layer in ArcGIS Pro. The structure of this includes the overview which is the optional layer that can show the 3D building as a single layer. The discipline which integrates category layers and the work disciplines of a building like electrical and plumbing. The category layers which involve individual categories organized in disciplines and the properties can be adjusted. Finally, filter allows you to see the details in complex buildings, filtering for elements with specific attributes as solid and others in wire frame mode to clearly depict the distinction. The third type of scene layer is the integrated mesh scene layer. Integrated mesh data is formulated from  large sets of overlapping imagery like using Drone2Map which converts raw, still imagery from drones into valuable information products. The resulting mesh layer can be shared to ArcGIS Online to make an integrated mesh scene layer. Drone2Map can also produce other products. Fourth, are point cloud scene layers which give a fast display of large volumes of symbolized point cloud data, which are generally collected using lidar or generated using Drone2Map from drone imagery. Lidar has emerged as an alternative to traditional methods of surveying. Lidar is an optical remote sensing technique that uses laser light to densely sample Earth’s surface. The product is a cloud of points with highly accurate x,y,z measurements. One final note for this type is that a point cloud scene layer can be converted to a scene layer package and uploaded to ArcGIS Enterprise or ArcGIS Online as a scene layer. The fifth type are point scene layers which are used to show large amounts of point data not possible with a point feature layer. These are automatically thinned which helps with performance and visibility for smaller scales. The process of automatic thinning entails that not all features are shown at small scales and so as you zoom in more features will emerge and be shown.

From ArcGIS Pro, a point scene layer can be made from a feature layer shared directly to ArcGIS Online as a web scene layer. Also, in ArcGIS Online, a point scene layer can be published from a hosted feature layer.

The 6th a final scene layer type is the voxel scene layer which represents multidimensional spatial and temporal info in a 3D volumetric visualization. For example, we can visualize oceanic data as voxel layers. A voxel layer can then be shared across ArcGIS. It is also possible to have a voxel layer accessible as a web scene layer.

The next section of the chapter explains the various products of ArcGIS involved in 3D scenes including ArcGIS Pro which we have worked with. ArcGIS CityEngine is another desktop app for advanced 3D creation. Photorealistic scenes can be made manually, rule packages can be formulated for generating large amounts of 3D objects in a group. Examples of application have been in urban design and filmmaking to create extensive urban environments. Thirdly there is ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise, which we have read about and worked with. There is a range of other products that allow for the viewing and exploration of 3D scenes.

In terms of creating these web scenes, the three fundamental tools used to do so are Scene Viewer, ArcGIS Pro, and CityEngine. ArcGIS Pro seems to be the best and most efficient to use especially for what we are doing. The first step in creating a web scene is to choose a global or local scene for scene viewer and ArcGIS Pro. The second step is to select a basecamp and the third step is to add layers. Scene Viewer can use web GIS layers and ArcGIS Pro can use these along with local layers shapefiles. The fourth step is to configure the layers including things like pop-ups and labels. ArcGIS Online and Scene Viewer in ArcGIS Enterprise employ smart mapping and layers like feature layers can be shown in 3D using attribute controls. The fifth step in creating web scenes is to capture slides if needed. The sixth and final step is to save and share your scene. For scene viewer the scene is directly saved in ArcGIS Online but for ArcGIS Pro and CityEngine in order to share you must publish the web scene and its layers to ArcGIS Online or Enterprise. In some cases, layers may need to be converted to multipatch layers and scene layer packages.

The following part of the chapter discusses the role of XR, VR, and the metaverse in 3D GIS. The objective of VR and AR is to bring a location to users in a more dynamic, engaging, and intriguing way. Starting off with VR, this is a computer technology that uses headsets or multi-projected environments to to create 3D views, sounds, and other sensations that create a simulation of a physical presence in a virtual or imaginary environment. VR allows for the interaction with virtual features and items. With 2D and 3D maps users are outside of the map but with VR users can go inside. Immersion into the scenes generated from GIS data is made possible by the associated headset or helmets. ArcGIS 360 VR is a web app that allows you to view 360 VR experiences (3VRs) on desktop PCs, mobile devices, and VR headsets. The current version is browser-based. ArcGIS 360 VR can be used in a desktop web browser, a mobile web browser and in a VR headset. Next is XR which refers to all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions, generated by computer technology and wearables. The X in XR represents a variable for any current or future spatial computing technologies. XR encompasses AR, VR, and MR. MR is the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments where physical and digital objects coexist and interact in real time. As we learned, AR takes place in the physical world, with information or objects added virtually, overlaying the real work and this digital content. MR does not exclusively take place in either the physical world or virtual world, it is like a hybrid between AR and VR. Furthermore, a metaverse is a network of 3D virtual works focused on social connection. Metaverse involvement and efforts have proliferated and many tech companies pursue the metaverse market by developing things like XR headsets, wearable devices, virtual environments, AI, and more. GIS actors and professionals can play a significant position in building metaverses in that there will be more than one metaverse and the 3D environment can be virtual in metaverses for like gaming and real in metaverses for working. GIS has produced 3D scenes of the Earth’s terrain, airports, utility pipelines, and more. These can be further detailed for use as metaverse environments and avatars can work or play in these environments. Essentially, avatars are a user’s digital representation in the metaverse, which can range from a realistic 3D model to a fantastical character. The metaverse has some real and quite revolutionary capability and  frankly what is opportunity for many areas of industry and life.

The book moves along to comment on Indoor 3D GIS basically involving moving GIS indoor and integrating the indoors with the outdoors. GIS has predominantly been based outdoors since its origin. These original implementations were helpful in some ways but unhelpful in others like navigating the complex indoor spaces of hospitals per se. On top of this indoor navigational elements, GIS can be used to manage indoor spaces, indoor emergency response, and more. Indoor GIS has two setbacks including the reality that GPS does not function well inside and indoor space is often in complex 3D formats making it difficult to model, store, and share precisely using indoor space data. ArcGIS Indoors is an indoor mapping system for smart building management which includes ArcGIS Indoors for ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Indoors Viewer, Indoor Space Planner, and ArcGIS Indoors for iOS and Android. First, ArcGIS Indoors for ArcGIS Pro allows for the creation and management of data and share maps and services to support other apps. ArcGIS Indoors Viewer functions to find a location or resource within a building or a site that includes several buildings. Indoor Space Planner is a browser-based app that allows you to plan occupant activity in indoor spaces. Lastly, ArcGIS Indoors for iOS and Android are native mobile apps that allow you to view indoor maps and interact with them by exploring, searching, saving, and sharing points of interest, reporting incidents related to indoor assets, and getting landmark-based directions. IPS are used (indoor positioning systems).

The ultimate section of chapter 7 is about integrating 3D mapping with urban planning and BIM. ArcGIS Urban is a web-based solution that applies GIS tech to urban planning. The objective with this is to streamline plan creation, analyze the impact of plans, visualize current projects, and facilitate public engagement. ArcGIS Urban has three components including a public-facing Urban Overview web app for standard browsers or mobile devices, a back-office Urban Design web app, and CityEngine for desktop workstations. There are four main types of contents including plans which are long-term (10 to 50 years) urban planning on a large scale. Secondly, projects are short-term (1 to 5 years) planning at the parcel level. Third are indicators which give insight about your work and your city. Fourth and finally there are ideas that entail feedback by the public on current or future planning activities. With an immersive 3D experience, ArcGIS Urban gives organizations the capacity to visualize proposed transformations, and thus enable planners and local governments and stakeholders to understand what changes might take place in their communities. GIS (Geographic Information System) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) are both data management technologies for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. ACE has struggled historically with distinctions between GIS data and BIM. ETL is one way that has been used to facilitate common patterns of data integration. Extract-translate-load (ETL) is not very adaptable to change and needs constant maintenance as business needs and file format change. BIM as 3D graphics is in turn a quick, effective technique for producing good-quality visualizations for presentations and stakeholder review. However this eliminates BIM attribution, metadata, and georeferencing information. 3D graphics look good but have limited value. There are limitations to both. ArcGIS GeoBIM effectively integrates GIS and BIM through a web-to-web client integration approach by connecting ArcGIS with Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM 360. ArcGIS GeoBIM provides a solution for exploring BIM, engineering documents, and project management issues in a geographic context to analyze risks, costs, and timelines. The result is that ArcGIS GeoBIM keeps AEC project documents and data organized in the original source locations, accesses GIS and BIM project content through a common web-based app experience, thus reducing the need to continually convert project data, and simplifies communication overall. 

For the tutorial I used the StoryMaps app to explore Scene Viewer and various types of scene layers. I then created a thematic web scene and another web scene of a park design with a point layer styled with realistic 3D symbols. Finally I explored elevation to visualize 3D features both in the sky and underground and learned how to enhance a web scene by editing the underlying 2D data. There was a lot in this chapter on 3D GIS and while I didn’t get all of the details I got the just of it. The text points out at the end that 3D GIS cannot be fully explained in one chapter and so things were crammed together. 

For an idea from chapter 7, I could use Scene Viewer to create a thematic web scene to do something similar to what the tutorial taught. I could make a cartographic scene displaying Latin America with colors symbolizing the total area and extrusion heights symbolizing the population density. I thought about this because I recently attended the OWU Hispanic Film Festival and we watched a film based in Colombia. I am a Spanish minor and so it would be nice to see the population density and patterns in SA and maybe compare that to the USA. Another idea is this: I talked to my mom today and she went walking in a park. What if I used Scene Viewer to use web GIS layers like an elevation layer to form a 3D terrain visualization of a hiking trail network. I would choose like the imagery or world topographic base map. I would use an elevation layer (DEM) to develop a local 3D scene that displays terrain, slopes/hills, and trail pathways. I could use StoryMaps for planning or storytelling purposes. I could add slides to kind of guide users through things whether it be an area of difficult maneuverability or just major locations. One final idea would be to create web scene of a building/business center/city design with a point layer styled with realistic 3D symbols. If I wanted to focus more environmentally, I could use a point scene layer to display all the trees in the city. I would first need a point feature layer to convert to point acne for 3D visualization. This would be cool to do for a city with not many trees to see how much urbanization has taken over and changed the land. 

Chapter 7 was about 3D web scenes. Web scenes bring advantages in data visualization, analysis, and communication. People often find web scenes to be more interesting and easier to understand compared to 2D maps, which I totally agree with. It gives an easier and quicker way to understand the size and positions of objects. Scenes are either photorealistic (re-create reality using photos) or cartographic (takes 2D mapping thematics and moves them to 3D). There are 4 main types of elements: surfaces, features, textures, and atmospheric effects. There is a combination of both 2D and 3D layers to provide the best and smoothest experience. Learning about the use of VR in a web map sounded quite amazing to me and I would like to experience it. The chapter also mentioned XR, and the Metaverse. ArcGIS can also be used for indoor mapping and urban planning. I have always had an interest and preference of 3D maps because I think they are easier to understand and they allow me to get a better idea of the meanings of the data. 

Here are pictures from the chapter 7 tutorial: 

I followed every instruction on 7.2 but only these two points showed up. I’m not too sure why this happened.

I could make an application showing the population differences between the counties in Ohio. I will have to find the data and then create a web scene to better show the relationships of population between all of the counties.