Natural environment modeling - year report 2010

Authors:

  • Gustav Tolt
  • Peter Follo

Publish date: 2010-12-27

Report number: FOI-R--3091--SE

Pages: 20

Written in: Swedish

Abstract

This report summarizes the activities within the project Environment Modelling during 2010. The project aims at identifying areas where R&D is considered especially relevant for increased exploitation of 3D environment models and geographic data for the Swedish Armed Forces (SwAF). Unlike previous projects the emphasis is no longer on development of methods for automatic sensor data analysis, but on questions on how existing and future technological progress in the area can be used as efficiently as possible to support the SwAF. The investigation of needs and possibilities concerning environment models carried out 2009 has formed the basis for this year's work, and a some issues have been identified as particularly important for the future. In the short-term, we consider three areas that correspond particularly well to the ambitions of SwAF. One concerns the development of the ability to gather geographic data and create 3D models in a mission area from ground sensor platforms, in contrast to the previous focus on airborne sensors. A limited field trial was performed in Aksjö together with personnel from Ing 2 and a number of sensor-oriented R&D projects, the purpose being to collect multi-sensor data and establish a dialogue with the Geo Support Group within the SwAF, thereby getting insight into needs and demands. Another area concerns efficient distribution of 3D models and geographic data. Connecting several systems operating in the same geographical region, physically or virtually, requires a technical infrastructure that enables flexible handling of geodata. In order to support the SwAF in this matter, work has been initiated on the development of a database/server platform for geodata support. It is based on open standards (OGC) that gain increased support by map engines and C2 systems. The primarily short-term use of the platform is within an internal M&S project at FOI (Simulation-based crisis management) but the ambition is to be able to exploit competence and technology within the SwAF Training Network (NTN). A third area concerns the utilization of environment models of urban terrain for physical computations and analysis, in contrast to 3D models for visualization purposes "only". Several R&D activities envision increased needs for and possibilities of making analyses in 3D, e.g. in order to improve the quality or granularity of simulations. Currently, users are often forced to invent their own ways of representing 3D data and then only have limited possibilities of using someone else's models. Therefore, this project investigates how new and emerging standards for representation of 3D urban models (e.g., CityGML) can be used for this purpose. The project has also financed Sweden's/FOI's participation in the NATO group SET- 118 "3D Modelling of Urban Terrain". A summary of the group's work is given in this report, with focus on activities especially relevant for the SwAF.