OpenStreetMap Now in 3D
Users and programmers can now call up three-dimensional landscape models, map data and comprehensive metadata via the OpenStreetMap (OSM) project. The first phase is constructing an open standard-based 3D Geodata Infrastructure (GDI-3D) for entire Germany.
Under the leadership of the cartography research group in the Department of Geography at the University of Bonn, Germany, OSM 3D developers have collected a mass of data from sources such as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) of the German space agency DLR and made them available through free Geographic Information Systems (GIS) gateways such as the Web 3D Service (OGC W3DS, available as PDF). The server provides the prepared files as 3D topographic maps over the Web to clients that convert them to digital elevation models.
As Professor Alexander Zipf relates to Linux Magazine, "The visualization of the OSM data in 3D occurs in a web viewer (XNavigator) specially made to display W3DS data and was developed in Java. Unlike the server side rendered views typically seen in WebMapServices, a fully interactive and free client side navigation is possible with the streamed data. Because all data is transfered to and rendered in the client, an adequate Internet connection and a current, powerful computer with a graphics card is required."
According to Zipf, the motivation behind the project is to promote user-generated geographical data, improve 3D services and, above all, boost availability of free geodata structures. The interoperable platform should allow 3D modeling of regions as well as cities. Zipf provides an example of five-meter topographic models rendered with textured buildings imported from CityGML with over 6 million buildings in Heidelberg, making it so far the largest 3D city model.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.