The term "geotainment" refers to educational and entertainment products that make use of geodata. Examples:
- City maps that integrate digital models, aerial images, traditional 2D maps
and georeferenced information (such as public transport networks) in a 3D
environment. The 3D models act as intuitive user interfaces, enabling users
to "fly" directly to their target points.
- Spatial visitor information communicated in the form of short films that
animate f. e. factory or company premises, their access roads and functions.
- Safe routes to school: Recommended routes to school and their respective
potential hazards can be spotlighted in an entertaining way in a 3D environment.
At present, the spatial data for geotainment products very often has to be explicitly created or modelled. It is therefore neither cost-efficient nor usable in realtime.
The following set of requirements can be identified for the use of geodata in geotainment applications:
- The geodata must be prepared and integrated in such a way that it can
be utilised by the systems directly. The number of GIS formats to be processed
must be reduced to a minimum.
- Geodata represents one of the most important assets of this kind of application. It must be specially protected to prevent its extraction by third parties.
- Geotainment products demand powerful visualisation systems that are capable of efficiently representing perfect-quality geodata, thus cutting the costs for development.
Specialist companies within the industry have come up with solutions that meet this profile. They can significantly contribute to the profitable realisation of marketable products.
Contact:
Hasso-Plattner-Institut an der Universität Potsdam, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Döllner
www.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/3d
3D Geo GmbH, Potsdam, Marc Hildebrandt
www.3dgeo.de
