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Fig. 5: Views of Al Bastakia 3D Model. 
5. CONCLUSIONS 
It can be said from this experience that as far as architects and 
urban designers are concerned, the creation of digital 3D 
models of existing urban environments continues to be done the 
conventional way. This is primarily due to the fact that 
scanning devices and associated software are still expensive and 
complex. In addition, the scanned product needs in many cases 
considerable editing, which requires expert CAD knowledge. 
Students attending architectural programs are not skilled 
enough to handle complex equipment and advanced 3D 
modelling. This is why faculty are always trying to bridge the 
gap between the advances in 3D scanning and city modelling 
technology and available resources. 
A combination of 2D digital plans, satellite imagery, digital 
images and video captures were used in order to create the 3D 
model of A1 Bastakia historic area in Dubai. At the moment of 
the production of the model, there was no sophisticated 
equipment available. But, it is planned that Dubai Municipality 
and the UAE University will carry out a joint project that will 
involve the use of advanced Laser scanning devices coupled 
with powerful software such as MapCube. 
The relatively small study area allowed for the conventional 3D 
modelling method to be effective, however in order to create a 
3D model of the whole of Dubai, there is a need for a more 
efficient 3D recording method involving technology such as 
airborne laser scanning, which is very accurate yet extremely 
expensive. Obviously, the purpose of the project and the 
expected use will justify the investment in something that is and 
will be greatly appreciated by generations to come. 
Further research and development are needed in order to 
establish a powerful platform for 3D city modelling that should 
enable the data to be easily processed, visualised and updated. 
Having said that, digital products can become easily obsolete if 
they are not updated on a regular basis. This has been the case 
with GIS platforms of many cities that could not afford to 
update their databases due to budget limitations. Nowadays 3D 
City models that are appearing rapidly and will soon reveal 
whether or not they are an important part in cities urban and 
economic planning and development. 
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Amhar, F. & Ecker, R. (1996) An Integrated Solution for 
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Boccardo, P. et al. 2002. True Digital Orthophoto for 
Architectural and Archaeological Applications. 
http://www.arkeologi.net/articles (accessed 24 June 2003) 
Dokonal, W. & Martens, B., 2001. A Working Session on 3-D 
City Modeling. Architectural Information Management [19 th 
eCAADe Conference Proceedings/ISBN 0-9523687-8-1], 
Helsinki (Finland), 29-31 August, pp. 417-422. 
Heard-Bey, F. (1996) “From Trucial States tom United Arab 
Emirates, A Society in Transition”. Longman, London. 
Mahlbreuer, A. et al. 1998. Digital Colour Orthophotos for 
Boomtown Dubai. IAPRS, Vol. 32, Part 4 “GIS-Between 
Visions and Applications”, Stuttgart. 
Takase, Y. et al. 2003. Automatic Generation of 3D City 
Models and Related Applications. International Archives of the 
Photogrammetry. Remote Sensing and Spatial Information 
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
The author wishes to thank Arch. Rashad Bukhash of Dubai 
Municipality for providing digital plans of Al Bastakia houses. 
Special thanks also go to Arch. Djamel Boussaa for offering a 
valuable amount of information on Al Bastakia.