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Track: New Technology and Technology Integration

Jonathan Raper
Birkbeck College
7-15 Gresse Street
London, W1P 2LL
UNITED KINGDOM

Telephone: 011-44-1-716 316470
Fax: 011-44-1-716 316498
E-mail: j.raper@geog.bbk.ac.uk



Timothy McCarthy, Nathan Williams

Integrating ArcView and Geographically Referenced VRML Models in Real Time

The development of virtual reality modeling language (VRML) has given Web developers a powerful new tool for the visualization of geographic data. By draping geographically referenced raster imagery over terrains represented by triangulated irregular networks VRML models permit the creation of Web browsable three-dimensional worlds. These VRML models are being used in the construction of virtual environments for the Virtual Field Course project at Birkbeck College and Leicester University (www.geog.le.ac.uk/vfc/). This paper will discuss new methods for the creation of geographically referenced VRML models and their integration with ArcView. These VRML models can be accessed interactively, played back as a set of viewpoints, or explored for hot spots that hyperlink to different models or different scales. By implementing ArcView and the VRML model in a client-server arrangement it has been possible to link the movement of vehicles in the VRML model with position plotting in ArcView and vice versa. This opens up the potential for VRML models to act as dynamic virtual viewers for GIS. The paper will conclude by assessing the potential for scripting such integrated applications.



Copyright 1997 Environmental Systems Research Institute