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Tele Atlas 3D navigable maps
Tom Van Landeghem
Project Manager
Tele Atlas,
Belgium
Email: tom.vanlandeghem@teleatlas.com
The paper/presentation describes the development of cost-efficient, highly accurate and easily maintainable 3D navigable databases for mobile solutions. Those efficient production processes result in affordable 3D map products, fulfilling the demands of the Tele Atlas customers and stimulate a timely market introduction of 3D map applications significantly. Location Based Services (LBS) are up and running and successful in the market. Digital maps are an important component for these services. Currently available digital maps are based on requirements of the car navigation industry with relatively little attention for map display. Apart from some basic land cover types like woods and water areas, only the centerlines of the road network are displayed. However, pedestrians represent next to car drivers an important user group of LBS. This has implications for the map, especially for map display.
Using an in-car navigation system, a car driver gets his GPS position improved with inertial information, so there is no doubt of his position and the direction he is heading. This is different for pedestrians, who get their position from GPS only. This shortcoming can be solved by improving orientation possibilities enhancing standard digital road maps with features such as road areas, sidewalk areas and 3D representations of the buildings. 3D representations of buildings can be made with varying levels of detail. The first level of detail is the so called generic block model, rather a nice technical result than something which appeals to many users. In order to arrive at a quasi realistic representation of the city, specific roof and front texture are assigned to the blocks. The paper/presentation describes cost-efficient methods, using image sequences from Tele Atlas Mobile Mapping vehicles, to produce the 3D building information. High end 3D City Models are in general very expensive. Because costs will vary with the level of detail achieved, different methods, leading to different levels of detail will be included.
By using the Tele Atlas Mobile Mapping Technology and following a component based production, Tele Atlas is able to produce cost-efficient low and high-end 3D City Map databases. These will reflect in affordable 3D map products fulfilling the requirements of an enhanced map display. The availability of affordable 3D products is expected to accelerate the market introduction of 3D map applications significantly.
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