Document Type : Original Research Paper
Authors
Department of Surveying Engineering, Faculty of Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The significant increase in the global population during the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century has had profound impacts on land-use planning and development. With the rapid population growth, rising from approximately 1.6 billion people at the start of the 20th century to over 7.5 billion in the early years of the 21st century, cities and urban areas have faced immense pressures. The primary goal of LAS (Land Administration Systems) is to support land markets and facilitate land management in both developed and developing countries. These systems play a vital role in securing ownership, protecting property rights, and facilitating land transactions, which in turn have a significant impact on economic growth and sustainable development. Cadastre is one of the main tools in land administration systems. Given the rapid growth of cities and the complexities arising from land use in urban environments, land information management has become more critical than ever before. In this study, the focus is on modeling underground features. The primary objective of this research is to explore different methods for modeling underground features and the use of appropriate standards for visualizing these features in a 3D cadastre. This research examines various data models and storage formats and ultimately aims to compare and select the best method for visualizing and displaying underground data in urban environments.
Methods: For the modeling of underground features, a needs assessment and the development of a conceptual model were first undertaken, followed by an examination of data models and data storage formats. Two main data models for modeling underground features in a 3D cadastre were considered: the IFC model and the CityGML model. In the context of 3D urban environment modeling, two important standards were introduced: IFC and CityGML. In this study, CityGML was selected as the appropriate standard for visualizing underground features. Finally, three CityGML encoding methods, including XML/GML, 3DCityDB, and CityJSON, were reviewed and compared. Among them, CityJSON was chosen as the preferred encoding method for data visualization.
Findings: The results of this study show that the development of a 3D model of urban wastewater infrastructure has clarified the relationship between underground infrastructure and land ownership. This modeling, in addition to identifying and visualizing the infrastructure, helps prevent potential damage and identifies weaknesses and vulnerabilities before problems occur. Furthermore, using this model enables analysis and urban planning for the future. The use of CityJSON, due to its simpler structure compared to XML, not only facilitates working with data but also reduces data volume and increases processing speed, making it a suitable tool for web developers and WebGIS projects.
Conclusion: The implementation of this approach in developing cities, especially in cities with complex infrastructures like Tehran, could revolutionize urban management and planning. Using 3D modeling of underground features and displaying them in the CityJSON format, compared to traditional 2D cadastral methods, provides new capabilities for land and underground resource management, aiding in decision-making for urban management.
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© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
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