Home

General Plan of Activities

Events

Performed tests, distributed datasets

WG Correspondence

• Become a member

• Letters to WG Members

• Annual Reports

WG Members

Resources and links

ISPRS

ISPRS Archives

ISPRS Highlights

ISPRS Calendar

Resources at ISPRS WEB

The ISPRS Foundation

Our mission:

Our working group aims at promoting the development of 3D technologies in support of disaster management and environmental monitoring. We are focused on promoting the goals of the WG as expressed in its terms of reference by means of various activities and events and in co-operation with ISPRS, other national and international organizations and Geomatics-related firms.

Background:

This working group is continuation of the WG IV/8 'Spatial data integration for emergency response' (2004-2008). The group was formed under a high pressure for better, more sophisticated and appropriate means for facing man-made and natural risks. The focus was on interoperability of emergency services, harmonisation of data and provision of appropriate information to ensure that citizens receive high-quality care. The most demanding phase, the Response Phase was studied explicitly (by investigating user needs and requirements) to be able to provide tools for efficient collaboration and understanding between different rescue teams such as the Health Sector, Police and Fire Brigade and civil protection.

What is the current status? Many international activities (projects) have taken places to ensure tamely supply of data shortly after a disaster, appropriate services (e.g. ORCHESTRA, WIN, OASIS), harmonisation initiatives (INSPIRE in Europe, HSDM in USA). Geo-portals and web access points have been developed (e.g. UN SPIDER) for easy search and access 24 hours per day. Centres for early warning have been established in several countries (e.g. India). Many bottlenecks in making data available, providing the most appropriate data and making systems cooperate have been resolved.

However, most of the operational systems are two-dimensional. Systems capable of a seamless integration of topographic (GIS), geological, meteorological, BIM models are not available yet. Insufficient research has been done in 3D indoor modelling for safe evacuation and navigation.  Research on 3D analysis and 3D simulations (e.g. prediction of plume movement, earthquake simulations, etc.) is scattered and isolated. 

It is our firm understanding that 3D technology can better aim disaster management and environmental monitoring and therefore we would like to focus the three-dimensional issues.

The mission of the group will be two-fold, stimulating 3D R&D for disaster management and promoting 3D tools to disaster manages.

Terms of Reference:

The work of the WG will concentrate on the following topics:

•         3D data models (geometry, topology, semantics), algorithms and standards for integration of data from different domains (geology, meteorology, ocean, etc.);

•         3D data structures, algorithms and standards for integration of BIM, CAD and GIS models for seamless (indoor/outdoor) navigation and evacuation;

•         3D data models for management of geo-sensor data and their integration with other 3D information;

•         Data models allowing for efficient 3D visualization (including indoor) on different mobile front-ends; and

•         Analysis of 3D disaster management and environmental modelling needs for production and updating of spatial information.

Technical Commission Officers:

Dr. Sisi Zlatanova is an Associate Professor at the GIS technology section, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands and holds PhD degree on 3D GIS for urban modelling from the Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria. Her research interests are in 3D GIS and its application for emergency response: 3D object reconstruction, 3D data structures and 3D geo-databases, 3D spatial relationships (topology) and 3D visualisation (VR and AR). She is a member of Bulgarian Union of Surveyors and Land Managers, GeoInformation Netherlands and ISPRS TC IV. In the last several years she is actively involved in international and national activities, groups and projects related to providing spatial services for emergency applications. She has edited and co-edited several books on 3D and disaster management.

Dr. Bo Huang is an Associate Professor and Director of MSc Program in GIS in the Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prior to this, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Geomatics Engineering, University of Calgary (2004-06) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore (2001-04). He presently serves on the editorial boards of several international journals, including International Journal of Geographical Information Science. His research interests focus on urban growth modeling and analysis, web-based visualization, 3D GIS, spatial optimization, and location-based service.

Dr. Jiyeong Lee is an Assistant Professor of Geoinformatics at the University of Seoul (UoS), South Korea, and holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the Ohio State University, USA in 2001. Prior to joining UoS, he had been an assistant professor of Geography at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and at Minnesota State University, Mankato, USA for six years. His research and teaching interests focus on feature-based 3D GIS data models, 3D topological data models, space-oriented data model to integrate indoor and outdoor space, internal spatial structure of urban forms, pedestrian accessibility in 3D urban space, and 3D urban virtual reality systems. His current project develops 3D Indoor Spatial Data Models, Indoor Navigations, 3D Real-Time Emergency Response System, 3D GIS Visualization and 3D Geo-coding and Map Matching for Indoor Location-Based Services (LBS).

Mr. William Sin is a Research Assistant and a graduate student of the Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.