Intelligent open data 3D maps in a collaborative virtual world

Three-dimensional (3D) maps have many potential applications, such as navigation and urban planning. In this article, we present the use of a 3D virtual world platform Meshmoon to create intelligent open data 3D maps. A processing method is developed to enable the generation of 3D virtual environments from the open data of the National Land Survey of Finland. The article combines the elements needed in contemporary smart city concepts, such as the connection between attribute information and 3D objects, and the creation of collaborative virtual worlds from open data. By using our 3D virtual world platform, it is possible to create up-to-date, collaborative 3D virtual models, which are automatically updated on all viewers. In the scenes, all users are able to interact with the model, and with each other. With the developed processing methods, the creation of virtual world scenes was partially automated for collaboration activities.Peer reviewe

3D virtual world as an enabler for a hybrid virtual-physical situated civic engagement platform

Abstract. User participatory design concept in the domain of urban computing has been playing a significant role around the industry and research area since it first came out. Many researchers and organisations involved in this strive to reach out a larger diversity of people so they could build urban environment better supportive and salubrious towards the community members. In this regard, we created a common ground platform for sharing opinions of people within the society by delivering a free speech from the public place. The installation is evaluated in our study dedicated in the context of human psychological sensation systems in the virtual environment, tries to find the relation between the performance of the task (giving a speech) carried out in a virtual space and the user’s degree of presence and immersion. The results of our series of field experiments show that there is a positive association between the system user interface and the quality of work, though, we could not extend it to the statement which saying the superior performance is the direct result of high immersion and presence

Vers une plateforme cartographique web 2D/3D - dynamique pour la participation citoyenne

Les globes virtuels Web peuvent faciliter la communication entre les urbanistes et les citoyens. Des études récentes ont montré que les représentations 3D plutôt que 2D peuvent être plus efficaces dans la communication de l'information. Cependant, une telle visualisation présente plusieurs défis, y compris le niveau de détail et de réalisme. La compréhension par les citoyens de l'impact de leurs choix lors d’une consultation pourrait être améliorée en exploitant des simulations spatiotemporelles. Pourtant, la 4D (3D + temps) a rarement été intégrée aux plateformes de participation citoyenne. Ainsi, l'objectif principal de cette recherche était de développer une plateforme de cartographie Web combinant des visualisations multidimensionnelles (2D, 3D, 4D) de manière intuitive, afin que les citoyens puissent mieux évaluer et comprendre les enjeux de la consultation. Pour atteindre cet objectif, des lignes directrices de représentation adaptées à la consultation citoyenne ainsi que des simulations spatiotemporelles ont été conçues. Ces concepts ont ensuite été intégrés au sein d’une plateforme de cartographie Web 4D mettant en vedette le globe virtuel Cesium. Des tests utilisateurs ont été réalisés avec 21 participants expérimentés qui ont utilisé un questionnaire intégré à la plateforme pour valider les concepts. Le questionnaire contenait 5 scénarios réalistes simulés de participation citoyenne, dans lesquels les participants ont évalué l'intuitivité des représentations choisies ainsi que les concepts liés à cette recherche. Les résultats ont montré que les informations spatiales partagées au sein des consultations citoyennes peuvent être intuitivement représentées par une combinaison de dimensions 2D, 3D et 4D. De plus, cette combinaison permet également de mieux comprendre les impacts liés aux choix effectués lors de la consultation. La plateforme proposée dans ce projet est un premier pas vers un outil plus complet dédié à la participation citoyenne. Les futurs travaux viseront à utiliser la plateforme dans un contexte réel de consultation citoyenne.Web virtual globes can facilitate communication between urban planners and citizens. Recent studies have shown that 3D rather than 2D representations can be more effective in communicating information. However, such visualization presents several challenges, including the level of detail, realism and abstraction. Citizens' understanding of the impact of the choices they make during urban planning consultations could be improved by exploiting spatiotemporal simulations. Yet, 4D (3D + time) has rarely been integrated to citizen participation platforms. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to develop a web mapping platform combining multidimensional visualizations (2D, 3D, 4D) in an efficient and intuitive way, so that citizens can better assess and understand the issues of the consultation at stake. To achieve this objective, representation guidelines adapted to citizen consultation as well as spatiotemporal simulations were designed. These concepts were then integrated into a 4D web mapping platform featuring the virtual globe Cesium. User testing was done with 21 experienced participants who used a questionnaire integrated into the platform to validate the concepts. The questionnaire contained 5 simulated realistic case scenarios of citizen participation, in which the participants assessed the intuitiveness of the chosen representations as well as the concepts related to this research. Results showed that spatial information shared within citizen consultations can be intuitively represented through a combination of 2D, 3D and 4D dimensions. Moreover, this combination also offers a better understanding of the impacts related to choices made during the consultation. We consider that the platform proposed in this project is a first step toward a more complete tool dedicated to citizen participation. Future works will aim to use the platform in a real context of citizen consultation