Even if the experts for geodesy, geoinformation and land management have decided to leave “Avatar” to the film makers and also exercise restraint in joining the virtual worlds and cities of the gaming community, the third dimension is still very much part of their world. This will once again be made evident at the 16th INTERGEO conference and trade fair to be held in Cologne from 5 – 7 October. INTERGEO is devoted to the three-dimensional mapping of the Earth’s physical surface and the environment that man has created. The reproduction of urban structures and the various forms of forestry, agriculture, oceans and mountains is the object of a whole gamut of research activities and practical applications.
Many different methods are available for capturing data. Aircraft and satellites, manned and unmanned flying craft, and land-based measuring vehicles all use sensors to record their data and are therefore able to generate the required 3D data for virtually all areas of application. “As the leading international trade fair and conference in this sector, INTERGEO showcases the very latest developments in recording methods and state-of-the-art procedures for processing and presenting the data they generate”, says Olaf Freier, Managing Director of HINTE and Project Manager of INTERGEO.
Three-dimensional data and models are now an integral part of all urban planning and architectural applications and are taking the place of conventional models created manually. By way of example, these 3D models can be used to examine the effects that planned high-rise buildings have on wind flow in order to determine the optimum flow of fresh air.
The Intranet forces the pace
The Internet is once again providing the driving force for this development. After all, three-dimensional models on the Web provide very realistic implementations for consultations and citizen participation. These models of the building structures and planned measures give local authorities a highly functional tool that they can use to provide an objective basis for their decisions and to depict them in a readily understandable way.
Other fields of application include mechanical engineering, large-scale power plant construction, and all forms of plant engineering. Three-dimensional models have developed into integral components of business processes in the field of repair and maintenance.
New dimensions
As a market for innovations, INTERGEO is also advancing into new dimensions. Well-known companies such as Leica Geosystems and Autodesk will be presenting their latest product developments during the three days of the INTERGEO trade fair. Leica Geosystems, for example, has announced the update of its GNSS/GIS products for GIS data capture in the form of Leica Zeno Office v1.1 and Leica Zeno Field v1.1. The products of the Leica Zeno GIS series, which enable an automated workflow between the field and office in a single operation, enable users from the GIS and related sectors to effortlessly test, manage and maintain infrastructure objects. The company stated that the products can also be used to safeguard public security, explore natural resources, respond to incidents, and record and chart existing structures.
AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 from Autodesk also features a range of new functions. The company states that the productivity-enhancing tools will accelerate the planning and implementation of civil engineering projects in road and track construction, terrain planning and environmental engineering analyses.
DVW e.V. – the German Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management – is the organiser of INTERGEO, which will be held in Cologne from 5 to 7 October 2010.
