Danesfield Courier: Efficient Transmission and Rendering of CORE3D Models

An important application for geospatial 3D models is fast transmission and rendering for disadvantaged users who have only a web browser and a limited bandwidth connection. Point cloud models commonly used within the NGA are too large for efficient transmission and rendering. Kitware’s new research on the IARPA CORE3D program has demonstrated procedural building models from point clouds for more compact mesh representations, but these models have not been adapted for fast transmission and rendering. Kitware proposes Danesfield Courier, extending Danesfield, our CORE3D system, to generate output suitable for fast transmission and rendering using multiple levels of detail and tiling. We will conduct experiments to determine the most efficient open standards for querying, transmission, and visualization of these 3D models. We will optimize the model construction in our CORE3D system to build models suitable for efficient network streaming. Danesfield Courier will demonstrate an end-to-end system, from model construction to web-based visualization. Yet, our use of open standards will allow the system to plug directly into the NGA infrastructure. These advances will enable remote users to rapidly access the quality 3D data that they need when they need it to make mission-critical decisions.