viewers. Absolute accuracy is not required for site orientation, as 
an operation would not be mounted on the basis of the model 
alone. With these types of models, bandwidth is a limitation on 
product transmission into theatre. Improved compression, 
bandwidth or viewers could overcome this limitation. Again, 
currency and closeness to reality must be considered. 
Models are also generated to aid in blast analysis. Metre-level 
accuracy is required with very simplified rendering. The models 
are generated on request without the requirement for rapid time 
scales. Helicopter operations to provide air to ground support 
could be improved by knowledge of heights of buildings from 3D 
models and other vertical structures such as pylons and viaducts. 
A review of the main software packages that could be used for 
producing and using 3D mapping or models was performed. 
Canoma is used to produce 3D models of small areas. The 
drawbacks of this package are that it needs perspective within 
photographs and it does not use a DTM, allowing large errors to 
be present in the models over steep terrain. SOCET SET is used 
for modelling wider areas as well as extracting individual 
buildings from stereo imagery for applications such as modelling 
conference centres for Party Political Conferences. Photo 
Modeller Pro is currently being used for applications such as 
modelling military equipment. ESRI’s ArcGIS and ERDAS 
IMAGINE are used for quicker production. 
Three specific packages were considered in more depth, 
Luminova rendering tools, the Urban Tactical Planner (UTP) and 
Enable3D. 
Luminova is a computer visualisation and 3D modelling tool 
which outputs photo-realistic models of scenes. The models are 
produced quickly and a shadow analysis tool is used for 
extraction of elevation from mono-imagery and a surface 
characteristics library is used for texture. The models produced 
are artificial and therefore texture is not extracted from imagery. 
A variety of input sources are available, including satellite and 
airborne optical imagery and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). 
Luminova has properties suitable for generating VR models for 
mission rehearsal as well as modelling new systems currently in 
the procurement cycle. Overall, Luminova is a powerful package 
that produces very detailed models with illumination and 
shadowing present but issues of compliance with reality and 
currency need to be addressed. 
Urban Tactical Planner (UTP) is an operational planning tool 
intended to support Military Operations on Urban Terrain 
(MOUT) and was developed by US Army Topographic 
Engineering Centre (TEC). It facilitates the rapid visualisation of 
key aspects of the urban environment, for example hospitals, 
schools and forests. UTP runs on ArcView 3.0 or ArcExplorer 
and is designed for rapid dissemination on a CD. UTP is a simple 
program with predefined views which assist the user in exploring 
the data. It allows further information such as photographs, 
building plans and video clips to be hyperlinked, giving added 
information. Overall, UTP is simple to use and provides 
significant contextual information. The hyperlink capability and 
perspective views enhance the product and it appears to be a 
suitable product for planning military activities and providing 
orientation. 
     
    
      
     
     
    
   
   
   
  
   
  
   
  
   
    
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
     
  
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
    
     
  
   
  
   
  
  
  
  
   
  
   
  
   
   
   
International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B3. Istanbul 2004 
Enable3D is a 3D visualisation service provided by QinetiQ. It 
takes two-dimensional GIS data and transforms the data into an 
interactive virtual model. The main input formats are OS 
MasterMap data, VMap and UVMap. Enable3D prepares data for 
TerraVista, which produces the 3D model. Assumptions are 
made about the visual appearance of structures, for example a 
rectangle on a 2D map is a row of terraced houses and all of the 
houses are assumed to be the same. Although Enable3D produces 
aesthetically pleasing results, the models are not true to reality, 
therefore limiting their usefulness, but they do have the advantage 
of being quick to produce. 
The study also addressed problems surrounding the use of 3D 
models for military applications. A main consideration is the 
variation in requirements depending on the user. Issues such as 
detail, accuracy, scale, processing time and 3D model 
size/coverage varies depending on the user and the application. 
Time issues may be critical in a counter terrorism operation but of 
less importance than accuracy when used for mission planning 
and scene familiarisation. Mission rehearsal may require a larger 
3D model than a weapons system. However, some users wanted 
accurate models that were true to reality rather than highly 
rendered models that made assumptions about the area, perhaps 
implying that areas not covered by imagery should not be 
rendered. It was found that detailed models, if realistic, are easier 
to interpret and interact with and thus could be useful for mission 
planning and familiarisation. The issue of currency also has to be 
considered, as the models need to be up to date, for example if a 
building has been damaged it should be re-modelled. 
The main UK government provider of 3D data is DGIA. DGC 
produce a wide range of geospatial mapping products to 
international standards for Defence use only, although 3D urban 
models are not part of the standard product ranges. It was found 
that DGC urban map production comprises only a small percent 
of their production volume, with only a small number of requests 
for urban maps. This may be due to lack of requirement or 
customer appreciation of production time, cost and difficulty. 
The method of data capture available may affect the end product. 
Airborne LIDAR, airborne photography and vehicle borne laser 
scanning are some of the possibilities. As new technologies are 
developed, improved survey tools may be available for rapid data 
collection. QinetiQ have developed an Airborne Topographic 
LIDAR System (ATLAS) which is a fast, accurate terrain 
mapping and visualisation tool with an absolute 3D accuracy of 
Sem RMSE (150m flying height). As other systems become 
available they can be evaluated for future use. 
The study concluded with an assessment of the gaps between 
requirements and capability, with recommendations on how to 
improve the current situation. 
4. CONCLUSIONS 
To summarise, this project found that the UK Armed forces have 
the ability to map small areas such as a building of interest to an 
adequate level of detail. There is a requirement to produce 3D 
models of large urban areas, but no universal method is currently 
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