The most important attribute in each dataset is type of object 
which classified objects into several classes depended either by 
their width, structure or significance. Roads, as example, are 
classified in classes based on their importance and 
transportability such as motorway, state road, pathway, fair 
weather track, etc. This attribute allowing us to represent object 
in adequate form. Other attributes are not matter of importance 
for representation and are removed due to faster processing and 
saving of space. 
Very important content of each map are human made objects as 
instance: buildings, ruined buildings, churches, airports, etc. 
Those objects are not present in GKB25. Due to lack of 
generalization was impossible to use existing datasets as: 
cadastral of buildings or database of house numbers. For our 
project all human made objects were vectorized from the 
National topographic map at scale 1: 25,000 and they don't 
have any attributes. 
A geometry of all datasets in the GKB25 has only 2D 
coordinates and because of that they are not suitable for direct 
3D presentation. The only dataset which contain height 
information are contours with height as attribute. All previously 
existed DEMs of Slovenia were not suitable for 3D presentation 
of GKB25 datasets, due to position incompatibility or 
insufficient resolution, so it was decided that a new, so called 
cartographic DEM from contour dataset will be produce. To 
achieve that it was necessary to convert contours into 3D 
coordinate system, later triangulate contours into triangle 
irregular network - TIN with inferred breaklines and then 
interpolate it in DEM. TIN was also improved by 
implementation of height spots that were additionally 
vectorized, geomorphologic valued and attributed and finally 
added into GKB25 as new data layer. Final product of this 
enhancement is a cartographic DEM with resolution of 10 
meters - KDMR10 which is used as elevation basis for 3D 
presentation of all other datasets. 
3. PRINCIPLES OF SYMBOLICAL 3D 
VISUALIZATION 
A computer technology development and a wide range of 
computer tools have brought many changes in theoretical 
fundaments of cartography. Visualization techniques and 
possibilities for communication between user and computers 
give an opportunity to design new landscape representations. 
They would enable users better terrain interpretation resulted in 
more efficient and complete spatial data capturing 
corresponding to the traditional two-dimensional paper or 
screen maps. The main advantage of the computer technology is 
direct terrain representation possibility in comparison to so far 
existing ones, like contour lines, elevation tints, hill-shading and 
others. A three-dimensional cartographic model can be 
visualized as a  three-dimensional or two-dimensional 
presentation, so called 3D map. Principles for traditional 2D 
maps design have been developed for decades and make strong 
base for every map produced, while such principles for 3D 
maps do not exist. An attempt for defining 3D maps’ 
cartographic design principles is one of the key research fields 
in Slovenia, performed by the Geodetic Institute of Slovenia and 
by the Chair of Cartography, Photogrammetry and Remote 
Sensing at Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering in 
Ljubljana. 
Two major map tasks are recognition of contents (metric and 
semantic) and communication between the cartographer and the 
user. In analogous cartographic technology there were no 
differences between the cartographic model and the map itself. 
Such cartographic model offers users direct recognition of 
contents and it presents a direct communication medium 
between the cartographer and the user. The cartographic model 
is fixed (static) and the user can perform only some limited 
changes in it. In computer technology the cartographic model is 
a digitally written record of spatial data and it is not possible to 
use it directly either for recognition or for communication 
purposes. But, the user can influence the model by changing its 
properties and make it applicable in the following ways: 
visualization with various symbol sets, selection of elements 
and objects which will be visualized, spatial transformations, 
scale generalization, adding new data, including new users 
oriented functions, format changing and more. Besides, these 
computer made cartographic models offer many new additional 
possibilities of use: simulations of moving in real time, 
simulations of placing new objects on landscape, dynamic 
phenomena analyses, etc. Digital cartographic models can 
contain many more data than the analogous ones. Additional 
data as specification tables, attributes, topological relations, 
pictures, movies and sound can be added to individual objects 
and elements. Data can be more heterogeneous; all the data 
needed have the same accuracy, complexity, detail or depth. 
There is no theoretical limitation of the size of the area 
presented in model, but there are some practical limitations such 
as amount of digital data. Main changes in contemporary 
computer maps regarding traditional analogue maps are as 
follows. The user can select any view directions instead of 
mostly vertical, ground plan views. Possible options are: 
vertical and almost vertical views, used for ground plan maps, 
design should be as similar to the contemporary 2D maps as 
possible; parallel to horizontal plane (profiles) and inclined, 
orthogonal or perspective. Changed medium (monitor, paper 
print) results in limited resolution, different colors, limited 
format of image and different multimedia possibilities (1mage, 
sound...). Users can interactively affect on the presentations 
and last but not least, model should allow dynamic 
presentations (animations) and presentations, depending on time 
(Petrovié 2001). 
International Cartographic Association defined a map as a 
symbolized image of geographical reality, representing selected 
features or characteristics, resulting from the creative effort of 
its author's execution of choices, and is designed for use when 
spatial relationships are of primary relevance (ICA, 1999). 
According this definition a map not limited with medium, not 
limited with type of perception (visual, audio, tactile) and also 
not limited with view direction. Three-dimensional landscape 
presentation can be called “a map” only if satisfies some 
requirements, that worth for traditional “2D” maps, as follows: 
- every presented object is defined with its geographical 
position in selected coordinate system and this 
position have to be accessible to the user, 
- objects and phenomenon are projected from Earth 
surface to the selected (usually plane) coordinate 
system according exact cartographic projections, that 
assured deformations in regulation sizes, 
- cartographic symbols as “an alphabet” of the map 
archive the communication and the information 
transfer between cartographer and user and 
- cartographic generalization principles define the level 
of map detail. 
Three-dimensional (3D) map is therefore cartographic 
landscape presentation in perspective view, where topographic 
objects and phenomenon are presented by cartographic symbols, 
explained in a legend. Authors usually neglect those 
  
requii 
mathe 
lands 
objec 
users 
obser 
Desig 
needs 
can 1 
conte 
and p 
The 
funda 
space 
mesh 
They 
distin 
simile 
we W 
functi 
Some 
from 
impor 
differ 
perspe 
preser 
resolu 
are fa 
maps 
geome 
(Rojc, 
object 
landsc 
users. 
struct 
second 
and u 
visual 
fractal 
rock a 
secon 
coveri 
consis 
Additi 
fact it 
object 
vertice 
descri; 
speaki 
memo 
The a 
huge € 
visuali 
Every 
two 
cartog 
maps 
Bertin 
bright 
(Bertir 
(point, 
3D ob 
the t 
Geom: 
man-ır