Abstract. Digital Twins are realistic digital representation of physical objects and are differentiated from traditional models by the live connection between the digital and the physical worlds, often enabled by sensors. They provide insights into the physical world for decision makers, for example via simulation, and can be used to directly alter the physical world without manual intervention. While they have their origins in manufacturing, they are increasingly being used within the built environment, by both public and private sectors. Increasingly city-wide and National Digital Twins are also being considered, to underpin local, municipal and central government decision making. For these emerging Digital Twins, location data such as that provided by National Mapping and Cadastral Agencies (NMCAs) has the potential to underpin Digital Twin modelling. It thus becomes important for NMCAs to better understand Digital Twins in order to determine whether current data offerings can meet this new demand and how best to support the various activities. As a first stage investigation under the auspices of EuroSDR, this paper explores challenges and opportunities for NMCAs and others working in the location sector, presenting the result of an international survey and workshop on these topics. We conclude that there is significant overlap with existing challenges within the geospatial community and those required to better support Digital Twins - e.g. interoperability and data management and governance. Additionally, the opportunity for a broader understanding and uptake of location data offered by Digital Twins should not be ignored.
Abstract. The use of three-dimensional (3D) city models has increased in a wide range of applications beyond visualisation. However, generation and maintenance of 3D data comes at a high cost, time, and workload. The purpose of the generalisation where coarser versions are obtained from a source data is of great interest for National Mapping and Cadastral Agencies (NMCA), which would benefit obtaining multiple 3D versions of an area from a single source. The main aim of the exploration presented in this paper is to study the potential of downsizing point clouds as an approach to generate 3D city models at multiple levels of detail from a single source and evaluate the steps required to ensure the output is fit for real world applications from an NMCA context. While interesting results are obtained when testing with sample data, no software managed to semi-automatically reconstruct 3D model for buildings of rather complicated geometry.
Simultaneous orthophoto stitching during the flight of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) can greatly promote the practicability and instantaneity of diverse applications such as emergency disaster rescue, digital agriculture, and cadastral survey, which is of remarkable interest in aerial photogrammetry. However, the inaccurately estimated camera poses and the intuitive fusion strategy of existing methods lead to misalignment and distortion artifacts in orthophoto mosaics. To address these issues, we propose a Georeferenced Real-time Orthophoto Stitching method (GeoROS), which can achieve efficient and accurate camera pose estimation through exploiting geolocation information in monocular visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and fuse transformed images via orthogonality-preserving criterion. Specifically, in the SLAM process, georeferenced tracking is employed to acquire high-quality initial camera poses with a geolocation based motion model and facilitate non-linear pose optimization. Meanwhile, we design a georeferenced mapping scheme by introducing robust geolocation constraints in joint optimization of camera poses and the position of landmarks. Finally, aerial images warped with localized cameras are fused by considering both the orthogonality of camera orientation relative to the ground plane and the pixel centrality to fulfill global orthorectification. Besides, we construct two datasets with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) information of different scenarios and validate the superiority of our GeoROS method compared with state-of-the-art methods in accuracy and efficiency.
In 2017, the Indonesian government implemented the systematic land registration (PTSL) process, projected to be finished by 2025. However, this process faces some challenges in the spatial and legal data collection process, resulting in the Indonesian cadastral system still being incomplete. For instance, during the three years of its implementation, out of about 135 million parcels, only 49.5% have been registered. Therefore, the level of completeness needs to be improved. This research aims to assess the compliance of the fixed boundary process’ legal elements, such as the parties that locate the boundary, agreement between the adjoining landowners, and boundary markers. This is a piece of qualitative research in which the data were obtained through interviews from questionnaire surveys to land administration policymakers. Subsequently, the research carried out regulation assessments to develop a country-context cadastre typology of the current cadastral mapping activities. Data were obtained from the results of the PTSL campaign in the Madiun regency. The result showed that the high percentage (i.e., 96.61%) of legal elements regarding the boundary agreement in a rural area could be used as a potential enabler towards achieving completion of the Indonesian cadastre.
The new geographical toponymy of Rome, performed by STUDIO SIT srl, totally comes from a field survey started in late 2017. Single house numbers compete with each other as for their accuracy and updating. Points
are close to 500.000, reaching the total of those for Milan, Turin, Naples and Genoa.
Sometimes the enormous surface of the municipality of Rome has represented a trouble for collectors, also with damaged roads, environmental findings and later built. But now, completeness and accuracy of this data put it
strongly to the attention of most influential location intelligence players.
A. Spanò, G. Sammartano, Francesca Calcagno Tunin
et al.
The analysis of terraced heritage has implications in many different fields of study, as it is shaped itself by natural, socioeconomic, and cultural dynamics. Given that their abandonment impoverishes territories and communities and raises natural, especially hydrogeological hazards, and that their deactivation leads to a loss of cultural identity, this paper aims to study rapid mapping systems for their detection. Since a deep relation between high land division and the use of terraces for the exploitation of territories has been recognized, a first detection method is based on cadastral maps. The joint use of regional-scale digital elevation models (DEMs) and cadastral dataset polygons, based on a model that typically uses GIS analyses, identifies areas with a high probability of terracing. A second method is based on the use of new technologies for very high-scale data collection. The DEM models derived from UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) photogrammetry, given their ability to determine the micro-topographical characterization of the terrain as well as the most expensive on-site techniques, can be considered an excellent low-cost means by which to locate terraced heritage. The proposed work includes comparative testing between methods implying GIS-based analysis of slope models. It aims to highlight the effectiveness of using both methods: regional-scale DEMs and cadastral maps to detect a high probability of terrace localization, and DEMs derived from the use of low-altitude aerial data and structure from motion (SfM) algorithms, which have greatly and effectively increased the use of aerial drone photogrammetry.
The aim of the research is to identify the biggest and most common errors in creating land plot cadastral cases. Land plot cadastral cases for the analysis were taken in random order from the National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania. The land plot cadastral cases were gathered from the 10 biggest territories of the National Land Service subdivisions. Most common errors and the main legislations that were breached in the land plot cadastral cases were determined.
Public law affects contemporary life by imposing various regulations that apply in 3D space. However, such restrictions are either literally described in legal documents or presented on a horizontal plane, resulting in ambiguities, especially in the case of vertically overlapping restrictions with a significant impact on land management. This paper investigates public law restrictions (PLR) applying to 3D space and their management within a 3D cadastral context. Within this framework, a case study is examined in Greece concerning the establishment of a subway station, focusing on public utilities, archaeological legislation, and building regulations. Relative legal documentation is compiled and mapped in a 3D PLR model, presenting inefficiencies and malfunctions that can be resolved if PLRs are addressed within a 3D cadastral context. Stipulations implying restrictions in 3D space within current legislation are presented, along with the restrictions deriving from the absolute character of ownership right, thus highlighting the significance of 3D definition, modeling and recording of PLRs.
Roberta Ravanelli, Martina Di Rita, Valeria Belloni
et al.
Nowadays, the increasing availability of low-cost sensors, Free and Open Source Software and High Performance Computing infrastructures allows Geomatics to widen its application scope, by stimulating new challenging investigations related to the modeling of the observations provided by these new tools.
In this review, some methodologies and applications, developed at the Geodesy and Geomatics Division (DICEA) of University of Rome “La Sapienza”, are shortly presented.
Directly related to the mentioned software and hardware new availability, they
are already ready for industrial applications and hopefully can broaden the interaction between Geomatics and other scientific and technological disciplines.
Land development processes today have an increasing demand to access three-dimensional (3D) spatial information. Complex land
development may need to have a 3D model and require some functions which are only possible using 3D data. Accordingly, the
Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM), as a national body in Australia provides leadership, coordination
and standards for surveying, mapping and national datasets has developed the Cadastre 2034 strategy in 2014. This strategy has a
vision to develop a cadastral system that enables people to readily and confidently identify the location and extent of all rights,
restrictions and responsibilities related to land and real property.
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In 2014, the land authority in the state of Victoria, Australia, namely Land Use Victoria (LUV), has entered the challenging area of
designing and implementing a 3D digital cadastre focused on providing more efficient and effective services to the land and property
industry. LUV has been following the ICSM 2034 strategy which requires developing various policies, standards, infrastructures, and
tools. Over the past three years, LUV has mainly focused on investigating the technical aspect of a 3D digital cadastre.
This paper provides an overview of the 3D digital cadastre investigation progress in Victoria and discusses the challenges that the
team faced during this journey. It also addresses the future path to develop an integrated 3D digital cadastre in Victoria.
Lucia Saganeiti, Federico Amato, Beniamino Murgante
et al.
Over the last decade new voluntary mapping patterns are commonly
known as VGI – Volunteered Geographic Information – that is, geo-localized information created voluntarily and consciously by web users. These are supported by platforms such as OpenStreetMap that have been shown in many emergency cases and not, a valid source of data, such detailed to be used for rescue operations. Another completely open source platform that has revolutionized the world of geographic information and how to make reports is Ushaidi that through interactive maps represents testimonies, reports, diaries, and citizen reports.
In the summer of 2014, concurrently with the 150th anniversary celebrations of the first ascent of the Barre des Écrins, the Union Nationale des Géomètre Experts (UNGE) with his partners Geotopo and Geomesure organized an expedition
to the Massif des Écrins to make precise GPS measurements of its three summits. The expedition turned out to be an adventure and provided scientists with the first ever centimeter-level measurement of the Barre.
Ivan Blečić, Arnaldo Cecchini, Giovanna Fancello
et al.
L’articolo propone una metodologia di valutazione della camminabilità (walkability) urbana ed il rispettivo strumento software di supporto alla decisione ed alla pianificazione urbanistica. Nella parte introduttiva discutiamo la rilevanza del concetto di camminabilità per la qualità urbana ed offriamo un suo inquadramento teorico all’interno dell’approccio alle capacità (capability approach). La parte centrale è dedicata alla presentazione del modello spaziale e multicriteriale di valutazione della camminabilità. La nostra costruzione della camminabilità nel modello propone un certo ribaltamento di prospettiva rispetto ai metodi sinora proposti: anziché valutare quanto un determinato luogo è in sé camminabile, il punteggio di camminabilità calcolato riflette come e verso dove una persona può intraprendere una camminata a partire da quel luogo; in altre parole, non quanto è camminabile, ma invece qual è la camminabilità di cui il luogo è dotato. Per questo, il punteggio di camminabilità combina tre componenti: (1) il numero di destinazioni di interesse/opportunità urbane raggiungibili a piedi; (2) le loro distanze; (3) la qualità dei percorsi pedonali verso queste destinazioni. La qualità dei percorsi pedonali è valutata in base a diversi attributi rilevanti per la camminabilità, che fanno riferimento a caratteristiche proprie della strada e dell’ambiente circostante in grado di contribuire a rendere il percorso piacevole, sicuro ed attrattivo. A titolo illustrativo viene nella terza parte dell’articolo presentato un esempio di applicazione del modello alla città di Alghero.