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  • Image-V

    Flemish Street Mapping

    Flanders, Belgium

Project Summary

Expanding a 3D City Map with New Technology

The Flanders Geographical Information Agency had previously produced a system of 3D street-level maps of roads in the Belgian city. Though that project was considered a success, the agency wanted to improve its maps based on lessons learned, including issues with variations in quality, precision, capture speed, data volume, and privacy. They also wanted to take advantage of available improved technology to produce higher-quality images. They contracted Image-V, a joint venture between Teccon and Sweco, to capture spherical imagery and LiDAR data for 65,000 kilometers of roads in the city and produce an updated, web-accessible map within two years.

Working to Ensure Accuracy and Privacy

To meet the requirements for the new project, Image-V had to capture high-resolution images and 3D point clouds to facilitate detailed notations and measurements. They needed to blur sensitive areas on the images, such as faces and license plates. Additionally, they were tasked with importing data from the first mapping project so that users could have access to historical data and view how the city has changed over time. However, Image-V could not simply copy the older data into the new mapping system unchanged, as it had to be reprocessed to blur out faces and license plates.

Extracting Features and Establishing a Workflow with Orbit 3DM

Image-V determined that Orbit 3DM applications could help them deliver the project on time and meet all expectations. Orbit 3DM Content Manager helped them establish a production workflow and blur sensitive areas. With Orbit 3DM Publisher, they published the image and LiDAR data online to allow for detailed measurements and feature extraction. Now, users like public authorities can adopt the mapping data into their workflows and develop their own plugins. In the end, Orbit applications helped Image-V capture and process nearly 13 million images and, including LiDAR data and the historic images, 250 terabytes of data.

Project Playbook: Orbit 3DM Content Manager, Orbit 3DM Publisher

Outcome/Facts
  • The Flanders Geographical Information Agency wanted to update its street-level mapping service to include 65,000 kilometers of roads in the city.
  • Orbit applications helped Image-V capture and process nearly 13 million images and 250 terabytes of data.
  • Orbit 3DM Content Manager helped establish a production workflow and blur sensitive areas, such as faces and license plates.
  • With Orbit 3DM Publisher they undertook detailed measurements, extracted features, and published the image data online.
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